Hide and Seek
by displacedtexan
Summary: An AU where Kotoko tries to avoid Naoki. Canon pairing. FOLLOWUP STORY: Olly Olly Oxen Free.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Itazura na Kiss is the creation of the marvelously imaginative late Tada Kaoru.

* * *

 _ **Present time:**_

"And this is our son Naoki, who, I believe, goes to the same school as you."

Kotoko ducked behind her father, wishing that he had half the girth of Mr. Irie, to whom she had just been introduced. Not _him!_

Unfortunately, the lady of the house swooped out crying, "Where is she? Where is Kotoko-chan?" and pulled her into view of her bête noire.

* * *

 _ **A little over two years earlier:**_

 _I have the worst luck,_ Kotoko thought to herself as she ran through the gates of Tonan High School. The courtyard was empty, as the opening ceremony had begun several minutes earlier. "Stupid alarm clock," she muttered.

Peeking through the double doors of the gymnasium, she caught the end of the introduction for the top student of the incoming first years. _Great!_ she thought. _I can sneak in while everyone is switching places on stage._

* * *

Irie Naoki brought his attention back to the proceedings when the assistant principal's droning voice finally ceased. He stood and straightened his new uniform jacket before stepping to the podium.

The first thing that his eyes encountered was a girl walking in a squat down the aisle. _Does she actually believe no one can see her?_ He began his speech without hesitation, voice true and strong as he recited the platitudes from memory. When a grim-faced teacher marched the pigtailed student away, stereotypically by the ear, he managed to disguise a bark of laughter as a cough. "Excuse me," he apologized to the audience and, after taking a sip of water, continued on for another two and a half minutes as if no interruption had occurred.

* * *

"How dare you disrupt the opening ceremony?"

"But Sensei, my alarm clock—"

"And that was the speech of our star student, Irie Naoki."

"Yeah, I heard he was the tops."

"The 'tops'! He has a reputed IQ of 200. The dishonor of your actions..."

"I missed my train," Kotoko argued. "I don't think honor has anything to do with it."

"I hope he doesn't decide to withdraw after this insult!"

"Aren't you going a little overboat?"

"'Overboat'...? Do you mean 'overboard'? Okay, that does it! You're getting detention!"

"The first day?!" she wailed in protest. "And just for mispronouncing a word?"

"Name and class," the teacher continued unsympathetically.

"Aihara Kotoko," she answered grumpily. "I'm first year and I don't know my class yet."

"Tsk!" The teacher shook her head. "Everyone else came early and checked the rosters. I don't know what some young people think about these days…"

"I told you—" She broke off. If the teacher hadn't listened to her earlier, she wasn't going to now.

"...if they think at all! Let me see." She pulled out a tablet and consulted a list, scrolling down the classes. Scrolling… Scrolling… "Of course," she sniffed. "I might have known. Class F."

"Class F?" Kotoko did not see the connection.

"The bottom of the barrel," the teacher sneered. "Thank goodness I teach classes A through C. I'd never be able to handle those rambunctious losers. You'll fit in quite well, with your poor vocabulary, plus all the commotion you've caused on your first day here."

"Now, I was just trying to get in. You're the one who made such a big deal of it by hauling me out in front of everyone. And are you sure you should be talking about the students like that?"

"Just stating the truth. Even though they passed Tonan's rigorous entry test," Kotoko nodded; it _had_ been difficult, "few of them have ever managed to make it to college."

"Well, I will!" Kotoko had grown tired of being insulted, both individually and as a member of a group. "Just you wait and see!"

"I'm not holding my breath. Now, don't forget to report to detention," she reminded her as she walked back into the gymnasium.

"So she can go in late and I can't?" Kotoko grumbled. "Well, I might as well wait in the classroom."

* * *

The detention notice was only the tip of the iceberg for Kotoko's first day of high school. Her entire class was amazed when an eyewitness pointed her out as the one who had interrupted the Class A genius's speech.

"I don't know whether to congratulate you for bravery or condemn you for your gall," said a fashionable young lady who identified herself as Satomi.

"It was a mistake," Kotoko muttered, for neither the first nor last time.

"And what a whopper it was," added Jinko, the girl sitting behind her.

"Mistake or not," Satomi sat down daintily in the desk next to hers, "you just committed social suicide."

"Say what?"

She leaned across the aisle. "Not only are the teachers fawning all over him but so are the students. Especially the _female_ ones." She batted her eyelashes and fanned herself, pantomiming heated emotion.

"But what does that have to do with me?" Kotoko whispered, looking carefully around the classroom. Yep, most people were focused on her.

"They're taking bets on what's gonna happen when you two meet face-to-face," Jinko put in helpfully.

"Not that it's that likely since his classroom is at the opposite end of the building, but what do they expect?" Kotoko had made a few wrong turns trying to find Class F and had learned the floor plan the hard way.

Satomi laid a hand on Kotoko's. "I've been reading translations of some foreign novels. It's called being given the 'cut direct': he looks at you then looks away as if you aren't even there."

"Why are you talking about other languages?" Jinko complained. "We call it treating you as if you were 'air' here."

"What it's called doesn't matter," Satomi shot back with a frown. "The result is that being shunned by someone such as Irie-san means that everyone else will follow suit."

After a moment of deep thought Kotoko proclaimed, "Then I'll just make sure never to be seen by him."

The two girls stared at her. Jinko was the first to find her voice. "How do you propose to do that? Tonan isn't that large of a school. You'll eventually run into him, like it or not."

"Well, I _don't_ like," Kotoko averred stubbornly. "I'll just duck around a corner...or run and hide!"

"Run and hide?" A loud male voice interrupted the conversation. The girls looked up at a boy with rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie. "We'd never do that where _I_ come from." He stabbed his chest with a not-so-clean thumb.

"Yeah, yeah, Ikky," Satomi waved him away, "we heard all about the wonders of Kansai earlier." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't call me Ikky! Call me Kinnosuke, and you, Sweetheart," he bent double to rest an elbow on Kotoko's desk, "can call me 'Lover-boy'!"

She leaned backwards. "Uh, no thanks?"

"Ah!" He recoiled as if wounded. "Shot down with no hesitation!" He quickly recovered and gave her what he thought was a seductive grin. "Don't worry. I'll work my charms on you and you can forget all about that Class A snob. No one will look down on you if you are Kin-chan's lady!"

"Go away!" Jinko gave him a shove.

"And clean up the trail of slime behind you," Satomi added, holding her nose.

Kinnosuke shot her a universal hand sign but finally departed.

"You guys know him?" Kotoko asked.

"I think the whole school knows him," snorted Satomi. "He introduced himself to everyone in our class but so loudly that all could hear."

"He said he was coming to Tokyo to make his fortune," mentioned Jinko. "My best guess is that he got kicked out of Osaka. But never mind him!"

"Right!" Satomi said briskly. "Back to Irie-san!" She exchanged a look with Jinko then told Kotoko, "We'll help you!"


	2. Chapter 2

Contrary to the reactions of his teachers (and also his fellow classmates), Naoki was not offended by the girl whose antics had disrupted his inaugural speech at Tonan High School. Rather, she had awakened a streak of humor in him, one that had been dormant ever since he had realized that little boys' attire did not include ribbons and lace. The desire to tease her about the 'incident' (as it had become known in school legend) grew in him until it was almost irresistible.

Unfortunately, that person proved elusive. Occasionally he caught glimpses of her from a distance, but whenever he drew near, she disappeared, like an image that only could be seen in peripheral vision. He noticed that two other girls were frequently in the last location of her sighting but chose not to approach them. Perhaps he feared that they would provide proof that the person either did not exist or that she had transferred out from the humiliation of the embarrassing experience.

When his father came rushing from the family room, waving a remote control and calling, "Mama!" Naoki followed in concern, little knowing that his two-year quest was almost at its end.

"See, I managed to press the record button as soon as I recognized him. Look, Mama, it's Ai-chan!"

"Ai-chan?"

"Aihara, my old friend from middle school."

"Oh, yes! What does that say at the bottom of the screen?" She squinted, too vain to admit that her eyesight had worsened over the years.

"His house was destroyed by that earthquake two hours ago!"

"You mean that tremor that made all my windchimes on the patio start ringing? How could it have taken down a house?"

"I'm not sure, especially since it was brand new, according to the report. But I finally found my old friend after losing touch for over a decade. We should do something to help him in this situation."

"Well," she placed a finger to her cheek, "I could move my craft supplies out of the spare room, and he can stay there."

"Is that his daughter?" Naoki's eyes had been glued to the frozen image of a girl in the background, just beyond the agitated man's shoulder.

"Ah, yes, she is about your age, Son. Let's see, her name is Kanoka, Koriko…something like that."

"But Papa!" Mrs. Irie broke in. "It would not be appropriate for the two of them to stay together in that little room."

"Give her Yuuki's bedroom," Naoki blurted out, eyes still on the television screen. "I don't mind sharing."

"Onii-chan!" His mother's eyes glowed in surprise and admiration. "How considerate and caring you are! What a marvelous idea. I'll just go up and start planning the re-arrangement."

"No, Ma," he forestalled her, "Yuuki's already asleep. You'll have plenty of time tomorrow while we're at school."

"Of course, of course!" she exclaimed. "What was I thinking?"

"Probably that you were finally going to get a daughter," he said with sarcasm.

"Um, yes, Nao," his father added, "Mama will be glad for another female in the house."

"Too bad those dresses won't fit her," his son sniped.

Mrs. Irie smacked him playfully on the bicep. "Don't tease! Of course they won't! But I bet she lost a lot of clothes in that tragedy. Oh, we'll have such fun shopping for a new wardrobe!"

"Yes, Mama, whatever pleases you," her husband muttered. "Now, let me call the television station and see if I can get Ai-chan's number."

Naoki and his mother left the room. "I'll need new curtains and rugs, and a bed—a canopy would be nice. It's too bad I won't have time to paint or paper the walls, but maybe a floral border near the ceiling?"

He let his mother's ramblings waft over him. _Aihara,_ he thought. _She actually exists!_

* * *

The next morning Kotoko stopped dead in the walkway. Satomi and Jinko turned around in puzzlement. She pointed. "Look at what that baka is doing! Is he trying to embarrass me because I've friendzoned him so many times?"

Her perpetual swain had set up a donation box on top of the stairs into the school building; no, he was _holding_ the donation box, not as if he was afraid anyone would steal it but to use it to bully students as they entered.

"Hey, there, you!" He stepped near a group of girls. "Donate to the cause! Kotoko's house was destroyed by the earthquake last night!"

"What earthquake?" one asked.

"It was around 19:00," a friend told her.

" _That_ was an earthquake?" she laughed. "I just thought a loud truck drove by."

The other snorted, "What kind of house would fall over in that? A tent?"

"Hey! Don't go dissing Kotoko's house!"

"Kotoko? _Aihara?_ " Another broke in. "You mean the dimwit who interrupted Irie-kun's speech two years ago?"

"Ha!" they laughed. "No way we're giving anything to help _her_."

"Ooh!" Kotoko stamped her foot. "Not only is he making me an object of charity, but now people are being reminded of my big screw-up."

"No one's ever forgotten that," Jinko not-so-helpfully informed her.

"Well, I'm putting a stop to this!"

She handed her bags to Satomi who staggered then looked at Jinko and shrugged. "I guess we'd better provide back-up."

* * *

As Naoki walked through the school gates with his middle-school pal Watanabe, he heard a commotion ahead.

"Was there a protest scheduled?" his bespeckled friend asked. "Someone's making quite a racket."

"It looks like a dispute of some kind." He ran his eyes over the sloppily painted sign. The name 'Aihara' jumped out at him. Maybe he would get a glimpse of his family's guest a little early.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, Kin-chan, that you have no right to make any decision about my life. We're just friends, and if you keep doing things like this, even that may fall by the waypoint."

"Aw, Kotoko," he grinned, "you're so cute when you're mad. But don't worry, I'm just takin' care of business here." Sniffing fresh meat, he hollered, "Hey, you Class A snobs! You rich kids can afford to part with some of your allowance. How about it, Irie?"

Naoki saw the shoulders of the petite girl facing the loudmouth freeze. To his amazement and amusement, she then walked stiffly sideways, always keeping her back to him. Two familiar-looking girls closed in and hustled her away. He craned his neck to follow their progress.

"Yo, Irie!" The Kansai accent grated, especially when it was used at full volume less than a meter from his ear. "Your pal here gave 500 yen. Are you gonna match it, or are you still butt-hurt over Kotoko's interrupting your snooze-fest of a speech?"

"Kotoko, did you say?" he asked with a glint in his eye. None of his father's guesses had been right. Just for the hell of it, as he dropped 1000 yen in the box he added, "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Hey, you bastard!" Kinnosuke yelled as the two circled him and his twin flunkies holding up the banner. "Don't think that by giving money that she owes you anything. 'Cause I saw her first!"

"Did you?" He paused. "I believe I had the better view that day. And as I recall, she was just now disavowing any claims of ownership by you."

"Disa-whatting? What'd he say, boss?" asked one of the Neandertals with the sign.

"I ain't sure, but from the tone it was disrespect! Why, I oughta throw his money back and then give him what-for!"

"Go for it, Boss!" The others began egging him on. While he was distracted, Jinko returned and tugged the box from his hands.

"Kotoko says thanks but no thanks! She's making a donation to a no-kill animal shelter with your collection."

"What?!" Kinnosuke squawked, but Jinko was quicker than most people thought and slipped through the crowd.

* * *

 _ **Back to present time:**_

Finally Naoki saw the front side of the diminutive figure which had so eluded him. A small heart-shaped face with wide almond eyes stared at him in...pure terror?

Kotoko managed a tiny and obviously fake smile. "Thank you, Irie-sama, Irie-sama," she bowed to his parents, "Irie-san." She was slow in rising from her bow to him.

His brow furrowed in puzzlement, but his mother was having none of the formality. "Nonsense, Kotoko-chan! You must look upon us as family! Ojisan and Obasan will be fine!"

"No, ma'am," she bowed again, "Ojisama and Obasama, perhaps."

Mrs. Irie sniffed. "I suppose it will have to do. But as for Onii-chan…! You can call him Naoki-kun," she leaned to inform her in a loud whisper, winking as she did so.

The girl jumped. "Oh, no! I couldn't do that!" She bowed jerkily as if she was one of those solar bobbing birds. "Irie-san is so far above me—in Class A!"

"Pfft!" The matron made her opinion known. "You're both in third year and the same age. Stop worrying about classes! Now, say it. 'Naoki-kun'."

She shook her head, refusing to concede the point.

"Quit badgering her, Ma," Naoki intervened. He lifted an eyebrow. "Would 'Irie-kun' offend your sensibilities?"

"Sensi-what?" she queried. "Otosan says I don't have much sense…"

Her father rapped her on the head with one fist. "And so you don't. Your grades…" His head shook gravely.

"Otosan!" She turned to him with an expression of betrayal.

"Don't worry, Kotoko," Naoki told her. "I know that Class F has more difficulties with subject matter than Class A. I'll be happy to help you study if you need it."

"Ah, thank you, but I don't think—"

"Daughter, accept help when it's offered," her father admonished her.

She closed her eyes in defeat. "Yes, thank you very much. I will put myself in your care, Irie-san."

"Only if you call me 'Irie-kun'." When it looked as if she was going to argue again, he held up one finger. "Remember, we're the same age."

She sagged. "Irie-kun, then." She blinked rapidly several times, afraid that she was seeing double. "What—?" She pointed over his shoulder.

"Yuuki-kun!" Mrs. Irie began scolding. "Why are you climbing the fence again?"

The younger Irie son, face showing between the bars, complained, "You were taking so long that I got bored."

"That's right!" She clapped her hands. "We're just standing out in the street. What am I thinking? Here," she waved, "you men bring in the bags and boxes. I've got to get Kotoko-chan out of the chill evening air!"

"Chill?" she said. "It's June."

Naoki leaned over. "It's better to just go with the flow when Mom's on a roll."

She jumped. "Really?"

"Yes, and I ought to warn you—"

"Now, now, Onii-chan!" His mother shoved him towards the truck. "Work now, flirt later!"

" _Flirt?!_ " Both teenagers echoed the word, looking at each other as they did, Kotoko's eyes round as she was tugged inside the house.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, my," Mrs. Irie cried in distress, "is this all you have?"

"Well, Missus," Mr. Aihara rubbed the back of his neck, "the rest of the stuff got crushed or torn in the rubble."

"No matter, Kotoko-chan," she pulled the girl to her side forcefully, "I will make sure that your wardrobe is replenished!"

"Ah, that's okay," she demurred, "my school uniforms survived."

"But summer's coming up!" she wailed. "You'll need shorts and tops and cute sundresses—won't you, Kotoko-chan?"

"Kotoko-chan?" Yuuki sneered. "Didn't take her long to get in good with Mom, did it?"

"Hush, Yuuki," Naoki said. "Quit acting like a baby." Kotoko looked at him quizzically when his brother stuck out his tongue at the comment. "Don't mind him," Naoki explained, "he's just bent out of shape because Mom redecorated his room for you."

"Oh!" Kotoko's hands flew to her mouth. "I didn't know we were displaying anyone. Isn't there another place for me to stay so he can have his room back?"

The boy snorted. "Not that I'd want it now. And it's 'displace', you baka!"

"Yuuki-kun!" Mrs. Irie expostulated as Naoki smacked the back of his head.

The boy turned and ran up the stairs, and they all cringed at the sound of a door slamming.

"I'm dreadfully sorry," Kotoko began.

"No," Mr. Irie gruffly cut her off, "I must apologize for our younger son. The three of us made a unanimous decision last night to invite you to stay, but he was not present and now feels a little left out. He will adjust, never fear."

Kotoko blinked at that. _Irie-san—no, **Irie-kun** —had agreed to this?_ Based upon the forceful nature of his mother, she had believed it had been rammed down his throat. Maybe she shouldn't have been so fearful all this time… _No!_ She shook her head. _Don't think that way. Just continue as before,_ she ordered herself. "So where is Yuuki-kun's old room?" she asked, hoisting a bag over her shoulder.

"I'll show you," Naoki said, "if you will point out which of these are yours." He picked up the indicated boxes, and Kotoko silently followed him up the stairs.

"Don't let her see the room without me, Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie screeched from the living room.

He rolled his eyes as she clattered up the stairs but stopped obediently by the closed door at the end of the hall. "Just remember that she really wanted a girl," he whispered at the last minute.

"Wha—?" was all Kotoko was able to say before Mrs. Irie flung open the door.

"Ta-da!" she exclaimed with one arm raised dramatically.

"Um...wow." Kotoko walked into the room and turned in a circle. "Yeah. Wow."

"You see, she likes it!" Mrs. Irie clapped her hands in glee.

"Um-hm." Naoki stifled a grin. He had never heard a more noncommittal reply. Mrs. Irie grasped Kotoko's hand and began showing her the closet and the drawers and under the bed… Naoki looked down to see his brother at his elbow. "I think she understands why you don't want it back, Otouto," he said.

Yuuki wrinkled his nose at the excess of pink and floral prints. "I don't know that _any_ girl would like this room. It reminds me of Obaasan's house."

His brother chuckled. "So it does. Ma," he raised his voice, "let her unpack and settle in. We have school tomorrow, remember?"

"That's right! Now, don't worry, Kotoko-chan, Onii-chan will walk you to school in the morning."

"That shouldn't be necess—"

"Of course it is! You're in a new location and don't know your way around. Besides, he'll be happy to do so, won't you, Son?" She gave him a gimlet glare.

Naoki smiled and bowed. "I am at your command."

Kotoko blushed and bobbed her head. "Then, thank you. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow morning."

"If you have any questions, Kotoko-chan, don't hesitate to ask Onii-chan," Mrs. Irie called as her elder son tugged her into the hall. "His room is just next door!"

Kotoko waved then sat on the bed and sagged her shoulders. _Right. Ask the school heartthrob for help by knocking on his bedroom door? What insanity was this?_

* * *

At breakfast the next morning, Naoki watched the new occupant of the house make faces at his brother, still a little pouty, in an attempt to coax a smile out of him. When Yuuki had a suspicious sounding coughing fit, he believed that the boy would soon warm up to Kotoko. However, he felt a tinge of irritation that she took elaborate measures to avoid meeting his own eyes.

"Be sure you see Kotoko-chan safely to school!" Mrs. Irie called and waved from the doorway, Yuuki peering around her skirt.

Naoki rolled his eyes. _As if I wouldn't! What kind of person did she think he was?_

"Did you save each other's phone number as I instructed you?"

"Yes, Obasama." Kotoko bowed.

"You were in the room when we did it, Ma," Naoki complained.

"Why, so I was!" She clapped her hands. "Well, let's see—safety, communication, what else? Oh, have a great day at school. I packed you both a nutritious lunch. I've never trusted the school cafeteria food."

"Thank you." Kotoko bowed again.

"Are you done yet?" Mrs. Irie's elder son asked.

"Children!" She fluttered her hands. "You'd better hurry or you'll miss the train. Go!"

As the two walked away, Naoki muttered, "And whose fault would that be?" He turned when he heard a stifled giggle. "Well, it's not exactly conversation, but at least you're acknowledging my presence."

Kotoko immediately began perusing the sidewalk surface. "Sorry, Irie-sa—um, Irie-kun."

"Have I ever done anything to offend you?" he asked cautiously, treating her as a wild animal that was in danger of skittering away.

"No," she mumbled.

"Then why do you treat me as if I'm a pariah?"

"Parry?" Her eyes raised to his, albeit briefly.

"No, 'pariah'. It means 'outcast', 'undesirable', 'person rejected from society or home'..."

"Oh. I think you have it the opposite."

The genius was stumped. "Excuse me?"

"Opening day, two years ago, your speech." She bowed jerkily. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ruin your first appearance! Please don't put me on the blacklist!"

Again, he said, "Excuse me?"

Now the words tumbled out of her. "Everyone said that I had committed the most awful blunder and that I wouldn't be able to stay on at school if we met and you cut me down to size although I'm not really that tall but that's beside the point and to keep that from happening I've tried to stay out of your way so you wouldn't see me and we wouldn't ever meet and my friends have been helping me by keeping a watch out for you and letting me hide behind them and it worked really well but of all the bad luck we had the earthquake and who should Otosan's best friend be but your father and now we are living together." She paused to take several deep breaths.

"Whoa," he said. "I've just heard more words from you in the last twenty-four seconds than you've spoken in the last twenty-four hours."

"Please, please, please don't cut me!" She bowed and remained bent over, causing him to stop walking as well.

"Why in the hell do you think I'd do that? What tales have they been telling you about me?"

She lifted her head and opened her eyes. "You...aren't mad at me for spoiling your speech?"

"Mad? It actually made a boring day more entertaining."

"Huh?" She straightened and shook her head. "Smart people sure don't make much sense."

"I thought it was funny," he admitted, "in a rather strange way." He laughed. "Actually, instead of wanting to admonish you, I wanted to go up and tease you."

"Tease me?" Her eyes were wide.

"You know? Like saying, 'Quack, quack'?" When she still appeared clueless, he squatted down and took a few steps. "You waddled like a duck."

"Oh!" A hand flew to her mouth. "That does look funny."

Upright again, he considered her. "So that's why I could never find you for two years. Congratulations on being Tonan High's hide-and-seek champion."

"And I really didn't need to go to all that effort?" she asked, still unbelieving. When he shook his head, she sighed, "Well, my high school life has been one disaster after another, hasn't it?"

"But we're good now, right?" Naoki said as they entered the train station. "You no longer have to avoid my presence."

"Are you kidding me?" Kotoko asked. "If we start speaking now, everyone will be talking about me again. No, I'd rather continue on as I have. That way I can have a fairly uneventful last year of school."

"You're going to ignore me?" Naoki was not used to that attitude and tried during the train ride to change her mind, to no avail.

"No, Irie-kun, just keep pretending that you don't know me and I'll continue to stay out of your sight."

"All right," he accepted, a trifle ungraciously. "So, no conversation whatsoever?"

She nodded vigorously.

"Well, at least we can text if there's an emergency."

She scoffed, "What kind of emergency will there be in school that we'll need to be in contact?"


	4. Chapter 4

Kotoko pulled the vibrating phone out of her purse, sneaking a glance to make certain that the teacher was still inattentive. Sure enough, he was droning on, reading from notes that had probably not changed in the past fifteen years.

 _A message from Irie-kun?_

'Check your lunch.'

She leaned down and slowly unclasped that portion of her bag. Blue and green plaid wrapper. Mrs. Irie had definitely shown her a package with pink flowered fabric this morning at breakfast. Kotoko sent Naoki a frantic emoji.

'Stairwell. Ten minutes.'

She kept her fingers tightly knotted with each other to avoid twitching as she watched the second hand make its ponderous way around the clock face. Finally she raised her hand. "Permission to be excused, Sensei?"

The teacher blinked and paused in mid-sentence before nodding. "Now, where was I?" he muttered as he scanned the paper in front of him.

"You think she's okay, Satomi?" Jinko craned her neck to follow Kotoko's progress.

"Probably her monthly visitor came early. After all, she took her bag with her." Satomi's eyes did not rise from her nails, which she was currently filing.

"She didn't take that hall." Jinko was now almost horizontal.

Slightly alarmed, Satomi turned herself. "What is she doing, then?"

"This lecture is boring. Let's go!"

The two girls also begged to be excused and hurried after.

"Hm." Kinnosuke's brain struggled to process the information. "Say, guys," he hissed at his posse, "did Kotoko look shook up before she left?"

"Dunno," said Gintaro.

Dozo, who sat nearer, offered, "She was bouncing around a little and looked worried."

"And her gal pals followed. Well, if she's upset, she probably wants a strong masculine shoulder to cry on." He stood and smoothed back his hair and swaggered out the door without asking for permission to leave.

* * *

"Obasama must have been districted this morning," Kotoko said as she hurried towards Naoki.

"I think you mean 'distracted', and, no," he shook his head, "she just wanted to cause trouble."

"Well, thank goodness Hakamada-sensei never asks why a girl wants to leave the classroom," she declared. "What excuse did _you_ give?"

He raised an eyebrow as he gave her the pink package. "None. The teachers assume that students in Class A know what they're about."

She scowled. "You have it easy, then. Well, here you go." She handed him the larger box.

"Um, how's class going?" he asked, for some reason not wanting to cut the conversation short.

"Boring as usual. All those dates and names run together by the end of the period."

"If you need some help studying, remember I'm just a room away," he offered.

"Really?" She stared at him. "Your mother said the same thing last night."

"She did? Wait a minute… she wouldn't… she can't be…"

"What?" Kotoko leaned towards him without thinking.

"I think my mom is matchmaking," he told her baldly.

"Matc—? Oh!" Kotoko put up a hand to stifle a giggle. "If she only knew that we were total opposites! How silly!"

"Silly, yeah," he said, with a frown. "Well, you'd better go back to class. I'll wait a little bit so no one will think we were together in order to preserve your precious secret."

"Thanks, Irie-kun!" She smiled and almost skipped down the hallway.

Kinnosuke scampered back once he saw her enter the hall and slid into his chair with feigned nonchalance, hiding his aggravation that Kotoko had not required any assistance involving a hug or other bodily contact.

Satomi and Jinko exited from their alcove when Kotoko paused at a drinking fountain. Before they entered the classroom, they turned and saw Naoki exit the stairwell and walk towards Class A.

"Wow! That was close!" Jinko said softly.

"You aren't kidding," Satomi agreed. "Kotoko shouldn't go out without at least one of us accompanying her."

Oblivious of her watchers, Kotoko blithely resumed her seat.

"Now that _everyone_ has returned, let us open our textbooks and answer questions 3, 6, and 7 on page 124."

 _'Everyone'?_ Kotoko wondered as she complied with the teacher's instructions.

* * *

Naoki knocked on Kotoko's door. Hearing nothing, he risked opening it. "Hey," he said, spying her seated like a statue on the bed, "it's your turn with the bath." He was taken aback when she spun around and stared at him intently. "What?" He looked down to make sure that everything was covered and fastened.

"Your mother just left," she replied slowly.

Catching sight of the tray of food, he nodded. "She's a maniac for snacks. If you don't like to eat this late at night, just let her know."

"No, I'm usually always hungry, but…" She shuddered.

Naoki stepped inside. "Are you okay?"

"I am, but how are _you_ okay?"

"What?"

"Your mom was showing off one of her photo albums…" Her voice trailed off.

"And? Wait a minute… not _that_ album?" His face displayed a pained expression.

Kotoko nodded. "I thought I was bad off NOT having a mother. You have my symphony."

"Damn!" Naoki sat next to her, too disturbed to correct her. "She _promised_ not to tell."

"Um, she was very proud of her pictures. And you did look cute. I really thought you were a girl."

He shot her a glare. "What will it take for you to forget that you ever saw those?"

"I don't think that I can. The image is, like, seared into my brain or something. But don't worry," she grinned, "I promise to keep it a secret." She moved her index finger and thumb over her mouth in a zipping motion.

"I suppose I have no other option than to trust you," he concluded.

"Well, I'm having to trust you, aren't I?" she countered.

"I wasn't going to bully you at school," he argued.

"And I wasn't going to tell anyone about the pictures. Think, silly—no one even knows that we know each other."

"That's too many '[k]no[w]'s', but I get the picture. So," he leaned down and picked up a worksheet from the low table, "what're you working on?"

"Calculus," she groaned.

"It's not the simplest form of math," he agreed.

"Any kind of math is my enemy," she informed him. "My scores aren't that high, anyway, but I always tank in math. And if I do as badly as I usually do," she pouted, "I'll end up taking summer review courses. _Again._ "

"That's too bad." He snapped his fingers. "I know! I offered to help you study, so why don't I see if I can change your opinion about math?"

"I think that's an impossible task," she told him, "but I don't mind some help, I guess. After all, mid-terms aren't that far off."

"Time is short," he agreed. "Okay, find out as much as you can about what's going to be on them, and I'll work out a study schedule. But for right now," he pulled her down to the floor, "let me explain this concept here."


	5. Chapter 5

Kotoko frowned as she went over her mental list. _Japanese, Physics, English, History…_

* * *

Naoki had bopped her over the head with her textbook when she had proudly given him her math topics for the mid-term. "I meant _all_ of your subjects!"

"But this is my worst one!" she protested.

"Based on your vocabulary weaknesses, I'll bet Japanese isn't far behind."

"It's not so much that I don't know the words, it's just that my tongue won't say them right," she tried to explain.

"And how does that justification fly with your teacher?" At her grimace, he added, "If you do badly in the others, you'll still have make-up classes, won't you?"

She blinked at him. "I suppose, but I'm closer to failing in calculus. If I work on them too, I might not do as well in that."

"Small steps, Kotoko," he said. "We'll get you out of failure range in math and bring your scores up in the other classes."

"But the tests are in a week and a half!"

"And who am I?"

"Genius Irie-kun," she muttered.

"Right. I'll set up a study schedule that you must adhere to—absolutely!"

"But what about—"

"No excuses!" He had held up a warning finger.

* * *

"That mean ol' Irie-kun," she said aloud, unaware that her friends had waved at her and, receiving no response, had then followed her closely.

"Did she say 'Irie'?" Jinko whispered to Satomi.

"That's what I heard. I wonder if she ran into him somewhere outside of school?"

Their concern manifested itself into dogging her steps for the rest of the day. They discussed her obsession with mid-terms with Kinnosuke, who was also keeping an eagle eye on her.

"Did Kotoko get hit on the head or somethin'?" he asked. "'Cause I've never seen her this worried about tests before."

"Yeah, well, you're the one who should be worried more," Satomi snapped back. "Your grades are dragging down the class average."

"Besides," Jinko added her support, "maybe she wants a new start, with her house falling down and all."

"Say," Kinnosuke narrowed his eyes, "anyone know where she's living now?"

"I'm right here. I can hear you discussing me." Kotoko glanced up from laboriously compiling the test information from her teachers into one list. "And I told you before: with a friend of my father's."

"What kind of folks are they?" Jinko asked.

"Nice ones," she answered, then, thinking of the older son's bossy traits, "for the most part."

Kinnosuke bent down to her level. "Are they treating you okay? Not making you into their maid instead of paying rent?"

"Huh?" she asked. "Whatever makes you think that?"

"Who knows where this idiot gets his ideas?" Satomi jibed.

"Besides," Kotoko straightened her papers gloomily, "with all this studying I'd have no time to even dust."

"We were wondering about that. What brought on this sudden interest in schoolwork?"

"Maybe they won't let her stay if her grades are bad!" Kinnosuke struck again.

"Not exactly," Kotoko laughed, "but the kids of the family are a lot smarter than me."

"Really?" Jinko said. "Anyone we know?"

She immediately recognized her error. "Um, probably not, since one of them is in elementary school," omitting entirely the source of her current problem.

"It bites to have little ones sharper than you, huh?" Satomi patted her arm in sympathy.

"Yeah," she grinned and waved a fist, "I've got to show them that I have what it takes."

"Just let me know if you need me to pound 'em for you, Kotoko!"

Both Jinko and Satomi slapped his chest. "You big bully! You heard her say they were young!"

* * *

"So, how are the tenants, Irie?" Watanabe asked his friend.

"Oh, our guests?" Naoki laughed. "They're settling in."

"You said there were two members of the family?"

"Yes. A father and a daughter."

"A girl? How old?"

"Somewhere around our age." Naoki tried to be vague, remembering Kotoko's request for secrecy.

"You'd better be on your toes, then, with your popularity."

"What's that?"

"She might try to make a play for you, and I hear that propinquity can seduce even the most ardent bachelor."

Naoki shook his head. "I don't think that will be an—"

"Oh, never mind," Watanabe laughed. "I forgot that your heart is already taken."

"Say what?"

"Didn't you know? It's been such a disappointment to the Class A and B girls. After all your rejections, that was the only explanation that made sense." After a few seconds, he added, "Of course, my personal opinion is that it's the 'interruption girl'; you know, the one at the beginning of freshman year."

"Uh, really?"

"Sure. You've been looking for her ever since. Maybe someday you'll find her."

"Oh." Naoki continued to their class in silence.

* * *

"Are you sure about that formula, Irie-kun? It looks funny."

"There is nothing amusing about physics, Kotoko." Naoki barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Strange, the more time he spent with her, the more he got the urge to do things uncharacteristic of himself.

"Maybe because you don't have much of a sense of humor," she mumbled, not quite under her breath.

Naoki's "What was that?" was interrupted by a knock. "It's early for Mom," he said, glancing at the clock.

"Come on in, Obasama!" Kotoko called. "Your son is bullying me!"

"I'm not—oh, hi, Yuuki," Naoki turned as the door opened. "What's up?"

"I dunno," he said, eyes on his feet as he scuffed them on the carpet. "How much longer you gonna be, Onii-chan?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe if I could drill a hole directly into her brain and funnel the knowledge in—ow!"

Kotoko caught the soft stress ball she had bounced off his head. "You're welcome to come in and make yourself at home, Yuuki-kun." She glanced around at all the pink. "At least, as 'at home' as you can be in this female budder."

"'Boudoir', Kotoko."

"Yeah, well, you knew what I meant."

"I never thought that Class F needed translation services," he countered.

"Well, we can't all be super-geniuses like you."

"It sounds like you two are having fun in here," Yuuki put in, almost timidly.

Kotoko turned to him. "Not the first word I'd choose, but at least my assignments seem a little easier. Say," she reached out a hand to him, "why don't you join us? Maybe your presence will keep your brother's torturing to a minnow."

"'Minimum'," the brothers said in tandem as Yuuki lowered himself onto the floor next to Kotoko.

"Great," she groused, "now I've done it. The evil mastermind and his mini-me!"

"Well, you're the one who issued the invitation."

"Stoopid," she said as she placed an arm around Yuuki's narrow shoulders, "with you spending every evening with me, can't you see that your brother is missing his Onii-chan?"

Naoki paused in realization that she had noticed Yuuki's feelings before he did. Meanwhile, Yuuki turned deep red and fought her hold.

"Don't worry," she crooned to the struggling boy, "I won't steal your big brother." After giving him a big smacking kiss on the cheek she let go of the outraged lad. "I'm just interested in his brain," she assured him.

"Yes, but the brain is attached to the rest of me. Now," he said, shuffling papers and handing them to her, "if only you would prove that you have one!" While she tried to get Yuuki to defend her from the insult, he wondered why he felt disappointed that she would only spend time with him for his tutelage.


	6. Chapter 6

Kotoko placed the empty can in the recycle bin and headed towards her classroom. Feeling a touch on the shoulder, she spun around to find Naoki behind her. Glancing every which way, she hissed, "Why are you coming up to me at school? We had an agreement!"

He raised his hands in innocence. "I only wished to congratulate you."

Her jaw dropped. "Congratulate? For what?"

"For making the top 100 in mid-terms."

"Quit fooling around!" She slapped his arm with a grin.

"I'm serious," he said, with an expression to match.

"No way!" she exclaimed, breaking into a run as she headed for the foyer, pushing through the crowd gathered around the bulletin board. Sure enough, there, at the opposite end of the paper where Naoki's name had a permanent reservation, was hers. And all around her was the buzz of conversation, people wondering who the Class F interloper was. She slowly backed out, hand shading her eyes, and headed for the stairwell where she bumped into him.

"You performed even better than I expected," Naoki admitted.

"And now they're talking about me again," she whined.

"Let them," he said off-handedly. "You have achieved quite a feat, one you should be proud of."

"You're right." She straightened to her full height. "This makes me want to try again and prove that mean teacher wrong." When he raised an eyebrow in inquiry, she explained, "The first day, the teacher who dragged me out gave me detention. She also told me that I'd never make it into college, even with Tonan University attached as our escalator."

"Yes," he nodded, "there is a cutoff point somewhere. Although I believe Makoto-sensei was unduly harsh in telling you that so early."

"I was so mad that I told her I would show her. Of course," she shrugged, "all that I learned is that I didn't have the brains or the grades to do so."

He rapped her on the head lightly. "You have the brains, even if you don't use them all the time. Plus now," he added, ignoring the tongue she stuck out at him, "you have the grades. You just need to keep them up."

"But how? You only promised to try and keep me out of summer school."

"I suppose I wouldn't mind continuing the lessons," he said nonchalantly.

"Really?!" she squealed. Her body reacted before her mind, and she caught his waist in a tight hug. "Thank you, Irie-kun!"

"Uh, yeah," he stammered, his face reddening. "Weren't you the one who didn't want us seen together at school?"

"Yeah, right," she backed away, flustered, "I'm not sure what came over me."

"Kotoko! Hey, Kotoko!"

"Darn! It's Kin-chan!" She looked for a way of escape, and Naoki shoved her towards the stairs then moved to cover her exit.

"Hey, you, Smarty-Pants Irie!" The boy skidded to a stop in front of him. "Have you seen Kotoko?"

"Yes, I believe I am considered intelligent," he replied. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Huh?" Kinnosuke waved away the reply. "Never mind that. Where's Kotoko? I know I saw her headed this way. Did you say somethin' mean to her?"

"Why would I?" he asked, lowering his eyelids in boredom. "I hardly know the girl."

"That's right! And you'd better keep it that way." He pointed at him. "Because she's _my_ girl!"

"Delusional, as usual," Naoki said, turning to ascend the stairs.

"I'm not sure what that means, but it better not've been an insult!" he hollered after him.

* * *

"I don't understand how I let myself get talked into this!" Satomi complained to Jinko as the two plastered themselves to a brick wall around the corner of a train station in Setagawa.

"It's for Kotoko and you know it!" Jinko whispered to her, indicating Kinnosuke and his band attempting to hide themselves behind an ornamental pot with tree. "That idiot has stalked her as far as this station four times and lost her. Who knows what he might do when he catches her?"

"Right," Satomi checked that her hair wasn't too mussed. "Plus, skipping the last class was a convincing argument as well. If I don't understand Physics by now, it's not going to hurt me to miss one hour of boring monotone."

"That's when I usually nap," Jinko admitted with a yawn.

"I believe it. Remember, I saw your last report card."

"Uh-oh! Kin-chan's twitching a little more than usual. That must've been the train that he's seen Kotoko get off from."

"Okay." Satomi zipped her purse securely. "Remember, if he starts getting overly cray-cray, we'll run interference."

* * *

"I still can't believe that the teachers never taught us that." Kotoko was repeating the mnemonic for biological classification. "You make it so easy. You ought to be a teacher."

Naoki tugged on Kotoko's braid. "I don't think so."

"Oh, I forgot. You're going to take over Ojisama's company, aren't you?"

"That's the plan," he answered with no real enthusiasm. "Not that I have much choice."

"It sounds like you'd rather do something else with your life." She tilted her head up at him. "Do you have anything particular in mind?"

He grimaced. "I wish that I did. It's frustrating knowing what you're expected to do but not really wanting to, yet not having a reasonable alternative to offer."

She nodded wisely. "That's because you have so many possibilities. Me, I'm just hoping that I can discover what I want to do in college."

"So you're going to college with no plan whatsoever, in spite of the fact that you—how can I put it?—don't particularly like to study?"

"Well," she shrugged, "I may never like it, but since you showed me all those nifty tricks, it's not as bad as I once thought it was."

"Interesting…" he murmured.

* * *

Thirty meters behind them, Satomi and Jinko were bracing themselves in front of Kin-chan to block his forward progress while Dozo and Gintaro held one arm each to further limit his movement.

"Lemme go, you bastards!" he raged. "What is my sweet Kotoko doin' with that damn egghead? And after I warned him and all!"

"Calm down, Kin-chan!" Jinko said with the authority of an older sister.

"Jumping in with no plan isn't going to do you any good." Satomi tried to reason with the red-faced youth.

"Yeah, Kin-san," Gintaro put in, "even though we three can take him, we'd just get into trouble doin' it out of the clear blue."

"And you know what the principal said if you got involved in another fight, on _or_ off school property," reminded Dozo.

"Aargh!" he howled. "Look at what they're doing now!"

Kotoko had discovered an abandoned tennis ball in the gutter and had begun kicking it before them. After the third kick she was surprised when Naoki stepped in front of her and blocked her.

"Hey!" she said, smacking his arm. "It's on now!" They began jostling for position to kick the bedraggled orb, oblivious of their onlookers.

Satomi and Jinko stared in astonishment. "It looks like they're having fun," Satomi said in wonder.

"Playing, and with Irie-san, no less," Jinko agreed.

When even his flunkies stared, fascinated at the sight, Kinnosuke wrestled himself free and bounded forward. "Irie, you poaching bastard! Get away from her!"

The two turned at the hail. "Darn it," Kotoko said. "What's Kin-chan doing here?"

"And accompanied by his usual backup and, I believe, your friends," he added drily.

"Satomi and Jinko?" she wondered before Naoki stepped between her and the rushing Kinnosuke.

"A little out of your home neighborhood, aren't you?" Naoki asked as he shifted from side to side, matching Kinnosuke's efforts to get to Kotoko.

"Scumbag!" he yelled. "I told you to leave my girlfriend alone!"

"I'm not your girlfriend!" Kotoko yelled under Naoki's arm. "Never have, never will be!"

"She's right, Kin-san," Gintaro said as he and Dozo caught up to their leader. "She never has gone out with you."

"She won't be able to ignore the love overflowing from my heart for much longer," he argued.

"Why not?" Naoki asked. "So far she has managed to ignore the drivel overflowing from your mouth."

He paused. "If that's an insult, I don't understand it. Neener-neener!"

Naoki gave a short laugh. "Which makes it all the more enjoyable for the insult- _giver_."

"That does it!" Kinnosuke threw a haymaker of a punch, which, if connected, would have knocked Naoki several meters back. But since the other's reflexes were well-honed from almost ten years of playing tennis, Kinnosuke found that he was the one spinning and only a quick hand to the ground kept him from falling completely. "Don't wanna fight, huh? You coward! I guess I can call you Yellow Irie, then!"

Naoki's only movement was a clenched fist, for any other action was forestalled by Kotoko stepping around him.

"Stop it, you baka!" she yelled. "Why are you here? I know this isn't where you live. And, Satomi and Jinko?"

The girls waved their hands. "We just thought it would be best to be here and try to keep Kin-chan from making an utter fool of himself."

"A futile effort," Naoki commented with a slight sneer.

"I suppose," Satomi agreed. "We bit off more than we could chew. But, seriously, you have some explaining to do, Kotoko."

"Yeah," Jinko added, "we've been keeping Irie-san from seeing you for two years and all of a sudden you're playing ball with him?"

"Well, yeah," Kotoko's tugged at her hair nervously as she frantically searched for a reasonable explanation, "there's a bit of a story behind this…"

"Is it one with a happy ending where I get to smash pretty boy's face?" snarled Kinnosuke.

"Probably not," 'Pretty Boy' replied, "since you've already tried and failed."

"Oh, let me at 'im, let me at 'im!" He struggled against his friends' holds. Satomi and Jinko joined in the effort to immobilize him, calling at him to back off.

"Well, damn it, you guys! Cut it out! We're living together!"

Naoki had to choke back laughter at the sudden silence which followed Kotoko's loud announcement. He straightened his face then placed an arm over her heaving shoulders. "Darling," he said, keeping an eye on Kinnosuke, "weren't you the one who wanted to keep it a secret?"


	7. Chapter 7

After the clamor died down, Kotoko not too graciously invited them to the Irie house. Naoki walked ahead to warn his mother. In no time at all, Mrs. Irie assembled beverages and snacks for the highschoolers.

Kotoko scowled. "They don't even deserve a glass of water. Following me like that! As if they couldn't trust me."

"Well, you didn't tell them the truth," Naoki pointed out.

"And you only made it worse by calling me 'darling'. What in the world possessed you to do that?"

"Would you believe the devil made me do it?"

Kinnosuke moaned when he viewed the arm pounding she gave him for the remark. "They are way too close and comfortable with each other! I bet he's poisoning her mind against me!"

"And that would make a difference—how?" Satomi asked satirically before she and Jinko approached Mrs. Irie to make polite conversation.

* * *

"I suppose it will be all over school tomorrow," Kotoko sighed when they sat down in her bedroom for a study session.

"Didn't your friends promise to keep our living situation quiet?" Naoki inquired.

She made a face. "All it takes is for one person to spill the beans, and Class F students aren't known for keeping their traps shut."

"They managed to hide you from me for two years," he riposted.

Yuuki, who had been following the conversation as if watching a tennis match, broke in, "What does _that_ mean, Onii-chan?"

"Um, nothing." Naoki lowered his gaze to the textbooks. "Okay, tonight we'll concentrate on your English pronunciation. Yuuki, you might want to take notes."

"Hmph!" he snorted. "She can't even say words in Japanese correctly. Goodness knows how she'll massacre English!" He easily dodged the teddy bear flung at his head.

* * *

"So, which one of you let the cat out of the bag?" Kotoko asked her friends four days later. "All I hear when I walk by people is 'Irie' and 'living together'."

"Not us," Jinko quickly denied.

"Believe it or not," Satomi said, "that idiot Kin-chan went on a rampage at an oden stand, complaining at full volume, according to Gintaro. He didn't notice that some Class A members were just a few meters away taking pictures. They made a mini-movie and posted it online."

"Did they?" Kotoko pulled out her phone. "What site?" A few minutes later she groaned. "Now I'll probably be bullied by all of the girls crushing on him."

"It doesn't look that way," Satomi said slowly, giving Jinko a knowing glance. "It seems they believe that you are no competition and are simply an unfortunate burden that 'poor Irie-san has to bear'."

"Dang," Kotoko groused. "Now I kind of feel insulted."

"It's a lucky break for you, though!" Jinko patted her on the back.

"But honestly, Kotoko," Satomi moved closer on the other side, "aren't you in the least bit tempted to take advantage of your position?"

"My position?"

"You're living in the same house as the boy most girls would die to date."

"How close is his bedroom to yours?" Jinko asked salaciously.

Kotoko gave her an outraged stare. "Right next door, but you aren't seriously suggesting that I…" she trailed off.

"Yes, we are," Satomi stated definitely. "I know you had a phobia about him seeing you, which meant that you never really looked at him. Honestly, he is extremely easy on the eyes."

"I guess I never thought about it much. I mean, most of the time he's trying to shove facts and figures into my head, and that's not the least bit romantic."

While Jinko cackled, Satomi hissed her displeasure. "And you have the nerve to declare yourself a woman!"

"That doesn't mean that I have to be man-crazy!" Kotoko protested.

"Look, with you playing hide-and-seek, you haven't really given anyone a chance to date you," she pointed out.

"And with Kin-chan saying she was his, no one really dared," Jinko added.

"I suppose I have pretty much wasted my high school life, as far as love goes," Kotoko mused. "Oh, well," she grinned, "there's still college."

"Even closer," Satomi said with a wink, "there's summer."

"Huh?"

"Well, just about everyone in our class except you has summer school. So that means you can spend some quality time with tall, dark and dreamy."

"But—"

"C'mon, Kotoko," Jinko pleaded, "thanks to taking care of you, our high school love life has been nonexistent as well. At least let us enjoy some romance second-hand!"

"But—"

"Look," Satomi placed both hands on her shoulders, "we're not saying you have to seduce him."

"I dunno. That sounds like fun," muttered Jinko.

"Just look at him without thinking of your crazy history, and if you like what you see, make a move."

"I don't know how to make a move," Kotoko pointed out.

"I've heard that it comes naturally," Satomi assured her, "so just go with the flow!"

"Aargh! Why is everyone pestering me about this?!" She waved her arms and marched off in high dudgeon.

Jinko whispered to Satomi, "If she'd just let Mrs. Irie take control, it would be easy-peasy!"

She nodded. "That woman is bound and determined to match those two up, isn't she? When we visited her house, Ikky was too busy acting the lovesick fool to hear her comments about how good they look together."

"We would have seen fireworks if he had!"

"I don't know," she tapped her lips with a finger, "I'd back Irie-san's mother against Kin-chan any day!" She huffed out a breath. "And do you know the worst part of it? Those two _do_ look good together!"

Jinko nodded in agreement. "If only Kotoko could see that!"

* * *

Kotoko was thumbing through a fashion magazine at the kitchen table when Naoki returned from tennis practice the first day of summer break. "This is a strange thing," she commented, "me at home during summer and you having to go to school. How was it?"

He grunted. "Boring. I know every move my teammates are going to make, having played with and against them for almost six years."

She stood to get him some cold water. "So, not much different from school, huh?" He had shared how frustrating it was at times to sit through multiple explanations of a concept which _he_ comprehended at first introduction. Not that she understood how that felt…

"Thanks," he said, taking the drink from her. "Where are Mom and Yuuki?"

"At the market," she said, seating herself again and turning a page. "Yuuki needs a notebook for a summer project, and we're having stir-fry vegetables tonight. I'll be helping her prepare them later."

"When you say 'prepare', what exactly do you mean?" Naoki eyed her over the rim of the glass.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Slicing them. I think she has finally given up on me adding heat to perfectly good food." Indeed, Mrs. Irie had decided that three house evacuations due to billowing smoke was enough and had limited Kotoko's 'help' in the kitchen to measuring, washing, and cutting up the ingredients.

Snorting in agreement, he finished his water and took the glass to the sink. "Good. Then we have several hours to work on your summer homework."

"What?!" she squawked. "It's my holiday."

"So? I had to go in today," he pointed out. "Don't think you're getting off scot-free during the break."

"But yours was for tennis club," she wailed. "Plus, I usually just do it the last day of vacation."

"How has that worked for you so far?" he asked sarcastically. "You want to keep your grades up and get into college, don't you?"

She stuck out her bottom lip. "I suppose so," she admitted reluctantly.

"Okay, then. Let me take a shower and we'll get right on it."

Kotoko watched his departure with narrowed eyes. "Evil man. I don't know what Satomi was thinking!"


	8. Chapter 8

Kotoko yawned as she looked up from the worksheets that Naoki had insisted she complete before setting pencil to the summer packet. She shifted position in the bleachers and grumbled, "Not only does he wake me up at an ungodly hour, but I've got to sit on these hard seats. I'm going to ask Obasama to whip me up a cushion from her scrap material."

After a week of staying up until almost midnight because Kotoko did not fully understand the problems or questions left her, her tutor had decreed that she accompany him to tennis practice each morning. "I'll check with you during my breaks and explain anything you're having problems with. That way we can concentrate on new material in the afternoon."

Although she disagreed mightily with the schedule, she had to admit that the one-on-one tutoring time in the afternoon was sufficient, leaving her evenings free.

Well, it wasn't exactly one-on-one as, for some reason, Yuuki dogged her heels whenever she was at home. "If I didn't know for sure that he's only in third grade, I'd think he had a crush on me," she complained to Naoki.

He had frowned thoughtfully then concluded, "He's probably just glad to have someone whom he can defeat in video games. I don't believe in going easy on him."

"What a cruel big brother you are," she mocked. "I don't mind being his favorite opponent then, as long as he continues to be mannerly."

That, in and of itself, was something new for Yuuki. On the rare occasions in which he won against a family member, he had been known to jump up and down and crow about his victory. With Kotoko (whom he nagged for a match or seventeen every night) he was not only magnanimous but often gave her hints for improvement.

Maybe Kotoko was right, and his little brother was in love for the first time in his life. Somehow that notion did not settle well with Naoki.

* * *

"What are you writing about so busily, Yuuki?" Naoki was ready to turn out the lights, but his brother remained at their shared desk.

"Oh, just my summer diary," he replied. "It's a statistics analysis project for math class."

"Sounds fun. I wish they had assigned things like that when I was in elementary school."

Yuuki closed the notebook with overly casual care. "Say, Onii-chan, it sure was funny when Kotoko thought the fish we had tonight was 'clownder' instead of 'flounder'."

"Yes," Naoki chuckled. "I'm glad we cleared up the confusion before she started crying, thinking we were about to eat Nemo."

"As if clownfish get big enough to eat," the boy snorted.

"With Kotoko's appetite, we'd need a whole aquarium full," his brother agreed.

After a pause, Yuuki commented, "She does have a bit of a problem with similar sounding words, doesn't she? I remember when she and her dad first got here, she used 'displaying' for 'displacing'."

"Yes, I recall that, and also that you threw a fit about giving up your room."

"Well, that was before I knew her," he explained. "Are there any other word mix-ups that I might not have heard?"

Naoki thought for a moment. "Hmm. At school on the day she moved in, she was chewing out that troublemaker from her class and used 'waypoint' instead of 'wayside'. At least, I'm pretty sure that's the word she intended to say."

"I bet you're right, Onii-chan," Yuuki said loyally. "You seem to understand her the best, after all."

He appeared struck. "I do?"

"Sure." He turned back to his desk. "Let me write down one more thing and I'll be ready for bed."

Distracted by his brother's observation, Naoki did not make the correlation between the information he had just conveyed and Yuuki's need for a few extra minutes.

* * *

"Oh, man, I am glad that summer school is over!" Jinko raised her arms in triumph, to the amusement of other customers in the café.

"So, Kotoko," Satomi asked, "did you have fun at home with Irie-san?" She took a sip of her tea.

Kotoko rolled her eyes. "You mean, with the slavedriver?"

"Now, Satomi," Jinko elbowed her with a wink, "you know we saw her mooning after him on the tennis court!"

"Yes, and Kin-chan almost wet himself in frustration that Sensei wouldn't let us take a break outside," she sighed.

"Come on!" Kotoko protested. "I was not 'mooning.' He was making me do my summer homework there!"

"Summer homework?" Jinko stared at her as if she was insane. "Girl, you never do yours until the last minute!"

"Well, not this year," she pouted. "It's almost done and then he says he's going to teach me ahead of schedule to keep my grades up." She lifted her chin proudly. "He says if I can do that, then I'm sure to make the cut-off for Tonan University!"

"Good for you," Satomi said. "Now, between your high scores and Kin-chan's low ones, the rest of us can rest easy in the middle."

"Quit talking about grades and school," Jinko complained. "What're we going to do for fun with the rest of the break?"

"Ojisama—that is, Mr. Irie—said that he can get us passes to WaterWorld anytime we want to go."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Jinko slapped the table, causing Kotoko and Satomi to grab for their glasses.

"Right," Satomi agreed. "Since Irie-san fizzled for you, maybe we can find someone amusing at the park. Anyone want to go shopping for new swimsuits?"

* * *

"Say, Kotoko," Satomi whispered during the bus ride, "if things aren't going well with Irie-san, why is he joining us at the water park?"

Kotoko shot a glance across the aisle where Naoki was reading an English novel. " _He's_ not the one who wanted to come. Yuuki-kun," she indicated the younger boy who was staring fixedly at the trio of girls, "has been especially clingy towards me lately." She smiled. "Maybe he is beginning to appropriate me as a sister."

"I don't think that's the correct word," Jinko said.

Kotoko immediately disputed that, so she missed the fact that Yuuki had taken out a pad of paper and scribbled something. Having lost the argument, due to Satomi agreeing with the other girl, she informed them, "Irie-kun is only coming along because Obasama decided that it wouldn't be fair for me to end up babysitting him on my girls' outing. As you can see, he's probably just going to sit in a lounge chair and do his summer reading."

"That doesn't mean that he won't be looking up every now and then," Satomi surmised. "Are you wearing your new suit?"

"Yep!" Kotoko grinned. "I have it on under my clothes."

"Good," she nodded emphatically. When Kotoko hopped up from her seat to tease Yuuki a few minutes later, she jerked her head at Jinko.

"Plan B?" she mouthed in return, to which Satomi nodded.

* * *

Upon their arrival at the stop nearest the park, Kotoko found herself walking with Yuuki, while Satomi and Jinko strolled on either side of Naoki, laughing and flirting. Distracted by the sudden distaste she felt for their nearness to him, she barely registered Yuuki's question. "What? Are Satomi and Jinko typical of Class F students? Hmm," she placed a finger in the corner of her mouth, "I suppose so. Thanks to your brother," she sent a frown his direction, since he was smiling with her friends, "I'm sort of non-typical now."

"The word is 'atypical', Kotoko," the boy corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, you understood me," she groused.

"Do they have as much trouble with words as you do?" he persisted.

"What's with the questions?" She turned to him. "Since I'm so bad, how would I know? Of course," she scowled, "they like to correct me as much as you do."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He smiled a little too widely at her. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Aw, I know, Yuuki-kun!" She caught him in a sudden hug and almost lifted him off his feet. "You just want me to improve myself like your brother does."

"If you two are through with your love fest, perhaps we can enter the park," Naoki said drily and with a slight tinge of irritation.

"Oh, sure!" Kotoko tugged on her tee-shirt after releasing Yuuki. "Sorry, we got caught up in convocation."

"Not the only thing you got caught up in," he muttered as she preceded him through the turnstile. "And it's 'conversation'."

* * *

"Is this a full-on Class F party?" Naoki asked a half hour later.

"Huh?" Kotoko looked at him and frowned at the sight over his shoulder. "Who the heck told Kin-chan that we were coming here?"

"Um, I may have posted something about it online," Jinko admitted guiltily. "But I promise, I didn't know he was following my account."

"Not only him but his baka twins," Satomi snorted.

"I don't think Dozo and Gintaro look alike," Kotoko said, puzzled.

At the side of the pool, Yuuki had a sudden coughing fit, which distracted Kotoko so much that she rushed over to him to pound his back. Naoki frowned at the slight leer on Kinnosuke's face at the sight of her bright red bikini.

"Hey, guys!" Kinnosuke hollered. "Have you been waiting for us long?"

"Since we didn't know you were coming, then 'No'," Naoki said.

"Urgh!" The boy visibly recoiled. "I didn't know that the top nerd was invited too!"

"Too?" Jinko retorted. "We didn't even invite _you_!"

"Not that _that's_ ever stopped him," Satomi whispered to Kotoko, who had returned to her lounger.

"Well, it's a big park," she said. "Maybe we won't see much of him."


	9. Chapter 9

"Won't see much of him?" Satomi quipped two hours later. "Those idiots have followed us on every ride and even tried to take our food."

The boys had claimed that they used up all their money for the park admission. Jinko had snapped, "Tough! Next time don't be a stalker!"

"What?!" Kinnosuke had pretended shock and dismay while Dozo and Gintaro looked away guiltily.

After the girls and Iries finished the lunch that Mrs. Irie had packed, Kotoko kindly offered what was left.

"Don't feed the wildlife, Kotoko," Naoki advised, "else they'll never leave."

When she laughed and swatted him, Kinnosuke rose halfway from his squat on the ground. "What was that, Brainiac?"

"A personal conversation, shit-for-brains!" Yuuki riposted. The girls all giggled, and Naoki gave him a high five while the source of their amusement smouldered.

* * *

"You guys are boring as all get-out," Kinnosuke complained a quarter of an hour later. "C'mon, let's get back in the water."

Kotoko adjusted her sunglasses. "We're supposed to let our stomachs settle after eating, so we're resting."

"Aw, that's an old wives' tale," he scoffed with a waving hand. "Join the twenty-first century!"

"What did you have in mind?" Jinko asked.

"Um," his eyes scanned the area, "I know!" He grabbed an unclaimed beach ball. "We can play keep-away."

"I wish _you'd_ keep away," Satomi muttered.

"Hey!" Yuuki said, rummaging through the cooler. "Those guys finished all our drinks!" He glared at them. "A bunch of moochers."

Kinnosuke glared back, but Naoki simply rose and placed a hand on his brother's head. "No worries, Otouto. I'll go purchase some. Ladies," he nodded, "what are your preferences?" He took their orders, ignoring soda flavors called out by the trio of boys. "I'll be back soon."

"All right," Kinnosuke entered the water, "Dozo, you go over there and Gintaro, right there. Girls," he turned but the three had already made their way into the pool and chosen their own locations. To his disappointment, Kotoko was on the opposite side of the irregular circle.

"What are the rules?" Satomi asked.

"When that song ends," Kinnosuke pointed at the blaring loudspeaker, "whoever has the ball loses and has to pay a forfeit."

Suspicious, she inquired, "What kind of forfeit?"

He waved away the question. "We'll figure that out when the time comes."

After listening intently, Yuuki moved to sit on the edge and dangled his feet in the water. "Sounds fun! I wanna play!"

"No, it will be over your head," Kotoko warned him. "See, my shoulders are barely out."

"You can just stay there and we'll rearrange," Jinko suggested. The teenagers did so, despite Kinnosuke grumbling that little kids should be seen and not heard.

* * *

The ball game proceeded as most could have predicted, with Kinnosuke lobbing the ball (which he waved for constantly) to Kotoko whenever he gained possession. Eventually only Dozo and Gintaro would toss it in his direction, as the girls and Yuuki tried to keep it from him so that Kotoko and Kinnosuke would not be the only ones participating.

The song neared its end, and Yuuki held onto the ball until the very last second to bean Kinnosuke in the head with it.

"You're out!" Jinko cried then turned to Yuuki. "Okay, little Irie-kun, what's his forfeit?"

"Hm?" He made a classic thinking pose. "How about...you stop being such a disgusting lecher towards my Onee-chan?"

"... _Onee-chan?!_ " While the girls exchanged amused glances, Kinnosuke's face quickly resembled a boiled octopus. "Why, you little— Don't think you're going to claim her for your brother! She's mine!"

"Kin-chan, I'm not yours, and I'm sure Yuuki-kun didn't mean—Yuuki-kun!"

Enraged, Kinnosuke had hurled the ball back towards the youth, knocking him off-balance and into the water. A flailing hand broke the surface for, as Kotoko had informed him earlier, the level was over his head.

She was the first to reach him and ducked under to grab him. Terrified and coughing, he grabbed onto whatever he could hold and almost tugged her back under. She made slow progress to the side of the pool, where Satomi and Jinko had moved to assist her in getting him to dry land.

Naoki, returning with a tray of drinks, set them quickly on a short table and hurried towards the group. "What happened?" he asked Jinko, who was patting his brother's back.

Satomi looked up from supporting the boy's head and snapped, "Ask that baka Kin-chan! What a bully! If Kotoko hadn't been right nearby, it could have been worse!"

"Kotoko—?" Naoki looked around for her. She was still in the pool, nose barely above water with a frantic expression in her eyes. As another cough brought his attention back to his brother, he saw in his hand a piece of fabric of a familiar color. Grasping the situation immediately, he jumped into the pool and pulled Kotoko to his chest. "Komori-san, could one of you two girls please toss me a towel?"

Jinko abandoned Yuuki, who was breathing easier, and hurried to the pool. "Here you go!"

Naoki wrapped it around Kotoko's back and brought the ends under her armpits. "I'll let you fasten it," he said with an embarrassed smile, eyes focused on the horizon.

Her face afire, Kotoko nodded her thanks. He assisted her out of the pool, lifting her effortlessly to the side so that the towel would not slip. Jinko wrapped an arm around her while Satomi examined the bikini top, which Yuuki had wordlessly handed her.

"What's the vortex?" Kotoko asked anxiously.

"'Verdict'," her two friends and Naoki corrected simultaneously.

"The clasp has been torn off." Satomi added, shaking her head, "I didn't bring a sewing kit with me."

"That's okay." Kotoko rubbed her nose with a forearm. "I'll just put my tee-shirt back on and enjoy the rest of the day out of the water."

"Mom can probably repair it when we get home," Naoki offered.

"You think so?" Her face lit up. "It's brand new, and I'd like to have more than one use out of it."

By now, Kinnosuke had figured out why Kotoko had remained in the pool. "Argh!" he howled, grasping hair on both side of his head. "Why couldn't _I_ have helped her?! Holding her to my manly chest, her luscious br—" _Pow!_ One of his sandals flew through the air and hit him straight on the nose.

"Don't speak of a lady in that manner," Naoki spoke to him in icy tones. "Also," he pointed out, "you need to get out of the pool. The management won't appreciate the addition of blood to the water."

"Yeah, Kin-san," Dozo shoved him towards the edge, "you can attract sharks that way."

When the girls and Iries burst out laughing at that claim, Kinnosuke growled through the muffling hands over his face, "Damn Iries! Both of 'em!"

* * *

Mrs. Irie made much of the mini-catastrophe when the trio returned home. "Of course I can fix your swimsuit, Kotoko-chan," she exclaimed. "Nothing is too good for the one who saved my baby from drowning!" She simpered at Kotoko. "But I'd expect nothing less from you, since he'll eventually be your brother-in-law!"

"Now, Obasama, I've told you that Irie-kun and I are just—"

"Yes, yes," she huffed, "just 'friends'. But I've had one of my feelings about you from the very first day!" she added in a sing-song voice, pointing from one to the other.

Naoki cut in. "Ma, we're tired of your machinations. Why don't you pay attention to the injured party now?"

Kotoko mouthed "Thanks" to him when she immediately turned to Yuuki and coddled him into bed. She insisted on offering him soup and clear liquids until he complained, "I don't have a _cold_ , Mommy!"

She eventually departed his room, promising him pudding for dessert, which made his eyes light up and the food she left immensely more palatable.

Kotoko sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry that Kin-chan behaved like such an ass today. He's not always that bad." She glared at Naoki, who had snickered at the statement. "Well, he's usually _annoying_ but not mean."

Yuuki slurped up the last of his soup then dropped his eyes. "Kotoko, I think I've done a bad thing."

"Not at all!" She patted his knee under the cover. "If Kin-chan wants to dish it out, he needs to learn to take it."

"Not about that." He squirmed a little then turned to Naoki. "Onii-chan, could you please get my summer notebook? The one on the left side of the desk?"

His brother complied. "Your statistics project?"

"Yeah." He turned it over in his hands. "I'm gonna have to redo it."

"Why?" Kotoko asked.

"Because," he handed it to her, "it's all about you."

"Me?" She opened the cover and began reading. "You kept track of the words that I mispronounce?"

"Yuuki! Is this what your teacher assigned?" Naoki's brows met in the middle.

"Nah. She wanted us to do boring things like count what kinds of birds visited our backyard or what colors of automobiles drove through our neighborhood. I thought this would be more fun and informative."

"In what way?" Naoki still looked stern.

"I thought I'd report on frequency, forms of speech, syllables… trying to find a pattern."

"That's impressive, Yuuki-kun." Kotoko handed the notebook back to him. "I don't see any reason to start over."

"What?" Both brothers stared at her.

She shrugged. "Well, I've never really thought about my word problems. Maybe you can find out why I do it, maybe you can't. As long as you don't make fun of me while you do it… Say, were those questions about other Class F members for this project?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I wanted to see if it was because you were in that class or if you were unique."

"Shoot, I could have told you that," she laughed. "I had this problem long before I entered Tonan."

"Are you sure I can continue?" Yuuki hugged the notebook to his chest. "Because it really is more interesting than counting colors."

"Sure I'm sure." Kotoko stood. "Well, I'd better take my shower and change clothes." She indicated the tee-shirt and shorts that she was still wearing.

"Thank you for this," Yuuki said with a wide smile as Naoki opened the door for her.

"No problem!" She waved before exiting into the hall.

"Wow, Kotoko kind of jiggled when she did that," Yuuki observed.

"That's because she's not wearing a—hey, you're too young to notice things like that," his brother told him.

"Really?" Yuuki grinned. "Well, _you_ sure did, didn't you?"

Naoki scowled. Great. It was bad enough that he had an eidetic memory, but now his little brother was reminding him of those few seconds in the pool with Kotoko's bare skin next to his. At this rate, it wouldn't be a bad thing if Kotoko used up all the hot water, especially if he wanted to get to sleep any time soon.

* * *

A/N: Congratulations to Rika Azumi Sakura Yukihara for guessing that 'something' was going to happen with the swimsuit and to Sydney for commenting that things were getting 'spicy'! Great predictions!


	10. Chapter 10

The few final days of the summer break played out with no more excitement; that is, until Mrs. Irie offered incontrovertible proof that she had never given up on playing matchmaker.

The morning after the two fathers left town to attend their junior high reunion, she answered the ringing telephone. "Oh, no!" she cried in distress. "Really? Well, tell her that I will be at her side as soon as possible."

Kotoko, Naoki and Yuuki, still at the breakfast table, looked at each other in puzzlement. "What has happened, Obasama?" Kotoko asked in concern.

"Oh, my," Mrs. Irie exclaimed, a palm to one cheek, "my mother fell and was taken to the hospital. I must go check on her and arrange for a home nurse."

"Of course," Kotoko agreed with no hesitation. "Irie-kun and I will take good care of Yuuki-kun."

"No, no, I can't ask that of you," the older woman demurred. "No, I will take Yuuki with me. You two," she nodded at the others, "need to rest up since school begins tomorrow."

"But Yuuki's school also starts," Naoki pointed out.

"He's so young that it won't hurt him to miss a day or two." She waved away the objection. "I will leave the house in your capable hands, Kotoko-chan!" She leaned over, winked, and whispered, "Use this private time well."

"Huh?"

* * *

"Your mother certainly has packing down to a fine art," Kotoko commented to Naoki as they waved off the taxi.

"You mean her schemes, don't you?" he said sardonically.

"Schemes? Oh, do you mean that your grandmother really isn't—"

She broke off when Naoki shook his head. "I doubt it. What did she whisper to you?"

"Oh! To 'use this private time well'. I'm not sure what that means, though."

He rolled his eyes. "Good. Well, if you think you can make dinner without burning the place down, I'll do clean-up."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "As long as you're not expecting anything fancy. I can probably manage curry and rice."

"That'll do." He nodded. "We have an interesting reversal of fortune here." At her quizzical look, he explained, "I was concentrating so much on teaching _you_ this summer that I forgot to do _my_ homework packet. I'll take care of it this morning, have a sandwich for lunch, and then nap in the afternoon."

"So the Class A genius waited until the last day of break," she laughed. "I told you that was how it's supposed to be done."

"It's not as if I deliberately procrastinated." He lightly pounded the top of her head with a fist. "And you'd be up a creek without a paddle if _you_ had done that. Doesn't it feel good to be able to relax on the last day of vacation?"

She pondered it a minute. "It does. Too bad I only learned it in the last year." After he left, she muttered, "And so unfair that he can calmly say that he'll do the whole packet in what's left of the morning. Aargh!"

* * *

Naoki wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I must say, Kotoko, that this meal was...edible."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that an insult?"

"Not at all." He grinned at her. "I remember your previous attempts in the kitchen with Mother."

"I told her and told her that there was no hope for me, but would she listen? It took Otosan at least ten tries for me to master this dish."

'Master' was a bit of an overstatement. Anxious that Naoki might not like highly spiced foods, she had added almost no seasoning to the meat and vegetables. However, the rice was scorched, so that had provided a bit of flavor. "Now, go ahead and rest," Naoki rose, "while I take care of washing up, as promised."

When he had finished the dishes (and the pans required quite a bit of scrubbing), he found Kotoko sprawled in the living room. "I don't know what to do with myself on the last night, now that I don't have to stumble to finish my homework," she explained.

"Why don't you call some of your friends and see what they're up to?" he asked.

She made a face. "I _know_ what they're up to. They're doing their homework."

He laughed. "I guess that's out then." He sat down beside her. "What do you and your friends usually do for fun? That is, when you're not 'scrambling' to finish your homework."

Kotoko acknowledged the correction with a nod. "I've got to remember to ask for the results of Yuuki's project. Let's see, we like to go out and sing karaoke."

"Karaoke?" He mused, "As I recall, Mom and Dad had an old machine that they used at parties before Yuuki was born. I'll see if I can dig it out of the storage room."

"Singing? You and me?" She clapped her hands. "I never would have thought that the genius of Tonan would sing karaoke."

"Well, I didn't say that I could sing _well_ ," he retorted as he left the room.

* * *

Kotoko had been over the moon when one of the song packs was American rock and roll. "Otosan used to play this music all the time," she crowed, "until I unwound all of his cassettes to make a wig from the tapes."

Naoki coughed suspiciously. "Perhaps he and my father share musical tastes."

However, all did not go smoothly.

"No, no!" Kotoko cried. "If you're going to sing an Elvis song, you've got to do the moves!"

"Look, I don't think the system cares about full impersonation," he argued.

"Well, _I_ care!" She jumped up to stand next to him. "See, you grate your hips like this, then swing them around and thrust!"

He looked at her dubiously, microphone still in his hand. "The 'gyration' is a little suggestive, don't you think?"

"Of course it is," she snorted, "but it's authentic!"

"Okay, I'll try." When she restarted the song, he attempted to mimic her moves.

"Better," she encouraged. "Now see if you can match it up with the beat."

They continued for an hour or more, alternating between singing and eating snacks. Finally, Naoki said, "We have to call it quits soon if we plan to wake up on time tomorrow."

"Okay," she agreed, scrolling down the list, "but let's finish with a duet."

The night ended with a lively rendition of 'You've Got Me, Babe', Kotoko standing on a stool because, as she put it, "Cher was definitely _not_ half a meter shorter than Sonny."

As the last notes faded away, Kotoko swayed in laughter to the extent that Naoki held out a hand to steady her. Believing that he was offering to assist her down, she stepped towards him. Knocked off-balance by her weight, he fell backwards with her onto the couch behind them.

This brought on a fresh wave of hilarity. "Oops, my bad," she managed through giggles.

"Not at all," he said, "I should have anticipated as much."

They both turned at the same moment to face each other and had a closer encounter than either had planned: their lips met for a few seconds. Centimeters apart, their eyes widened in shock, and the two backed away from each other in haste.

"An-an accident!" Naoki sputtered.

"Of course!" Kotoko agreed, face reddening rapidly. "I mean—I know you wouldn't—oh, is that the time?" She scurried off the couch clumsily.

"Yes," he said, also standing. "I'll, uh, put away the equipment." He began to clip the microphones into their fasteners. "You can take the bathroom first," he added, not looking up from the task.

"Sure," she said as she backed out of the room before taking the stairs two at a time, almost sprawling into the hall at the top of the flight. Once safely in her room, she collapsed, back against the door, and patted her chest, breathing hard. _Why was her heart beating so rapidly?_

Naoki wound the plug and carried the machine to the closet under the stairs. _She didn't have to act as if it was a total catastrophe_ , he complained to himself.

* * *

With restless sleep and anxious dreams on both their parts, they considered themselves lucky to set off for school at the usual time the next morning.

The walk to the train station was the most awkward since the day after the Aiharas had moved in. Finally Naoki took Kotoko's arm and halted their progress.

"Look," he said, "if we act this uncomfortable with each other, both your cretinous boyfriend and my mother will suspect that something happened between us."

"Kin-chan is not my boyfriend," she denied automatically before meeting his eyes. "So what do you recompense?"

"'Recommend'," he corrected, just as automatically. "Why don't we try to pretend that it didn't happen?"

"But it did," she argued, "and I'm not sure I can forget... _it_."

"Consider this," he said with false levity," I am not _able_ to do so, but I'm willing to _act_ as if I did."

"Okay, acting," she muttered thoughtfully. "I've never longed to be on the stage, but I'm game to try."

"Agreed. We'll just see each other at meals and tutoring sessions—outside of school, of course. So, Kotoko," he grinned, "break a leg."

"What?!" she squawked. "What good would _that_ do?"

The remainder of the trip comprised of him explaining theater slang and trivia that he had picked up God-knows-where.

* * *

"You sure are antsy," Jinko commented during homeroom. "Did anything happen?"

"Happen?" Kotoko jumped. "What makes you think something happened?"

Satomi moved her gaze from her compact mirror to the flustered girl. "Nothing until now. What gives? Did you finally make the moves on Irie-kun?"

"Moves?" Kotoko gave a weak laugh. "No, I'm just...hoping that everyone gets back home safely."

"Whoa!" Jinko almost shot out of her seat. "You and the dreamboat were alone in the house?!"

"It's not nice to keep secrets," Satomi chanted in a sing-song voice.

Kotoko laid her head on her crossed arms. "Me and my big mouth!"

* * *

"So you two spent the day in separate areas of the house, then ate dinner together and played karaoke." Satomi was highly displeased. "What a wasted opportunity."

Kotoko grinned and shrugged, guiltily aware that she had not shared _everything_ with her friends.

"Man!" Jinko slumped back. "And here I thought at least one of us would get lucky."

"Yo, Kotoko!" Kinnosuke hollered and waved from across the room.

"No," Kotoko said, avoiding his gaze, "I don't see my luck turning any time soon."


	11. Chapter 11

"How is this term of school progressing?" Mrs. Irie inquired during one dinner.

"Not bad as far as grades go," Kotoko answered, "thanks to Irie-kun. It's just this darn Sports Festival coming up…"

"How delightful!" She clapped her hands in glee. "Can families attend?"

"I don't know why you'd want to," the girl answered, eyes wide.

"Why, to see my two children engage in friendly combat on the sports field."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Yuuki immediately asked.

"My two _oldest_ children, dear." His mother patted his hand.

"I doubt that we're going to be in any of the same competitions," Naoki put in.

"You mean you haven't discussed it?" Mrs. Irie was aghast. "What are you doing, dear?" she asked Kotoko.

"Um, the scavenger hunt, and I'm third leg in the mixed relay."

"And you, Onii-chan?"

"Male one hundred meter and last leg of the mixed relay."

"See! You _do_ have an event in common. Now, how will I choose who to cheer for?"

"You're the last leg?" Kotoko asked. "That's what Kin-chan is running, as well as the hundred meter."

"Why are you talking about Kin-the-Loser?" asked Yuuki.

"Because Sensei put him in charge of the class assignments, and he ran down the hall before deciding what he wanted to do." She turned to Naoki. "He didn't ask you what your events were, did he?"

He rolled his eyes. "We're not exactly on good terms, as you should remember. However, we have had our assignments on the board for the last few weeks." He grinned. " _We_ decided by drawing lots, but it looks like your swain is trying to rig the lineup."

"My 'Spain'? No, Kin-chan is Japanese."

"He means your suitor," Mr. Irie put in kindly. He usually stayed out of the conversations explaining mistaken words to Kotoko, receiving great enjoyment from the youthful banter. This time, however, his older son was speechless and his younger one did not understand the original word.

"Like, in wearing a suit?" Kotoko was still lost. "Kin-chan dresses pretty casually when he doesn't have to wear the school uniform."

"No," Naoki had retrieved his voice, "'it means your wannabe boyfriend."

"Oh." Kotoko shook her head. "He can 'wanna' all he wants, but he'll never 'be' that."

That simple statement gave Naoki a small glow of satisfaction; until, that is, he heard his mother declaring that this was the perfect opportunity to update her cameras.

* * *

"I can't believe your mother left before us just to get a good seat at the track," Kotoko commented to Naoki as they walked to school on that particular day.

"I can't believe that she is allowing Yuuki to skip school to attend it." Naoki sniffed. "I never got such consideration when I was in elementary school."

"That's probably because you were the super genius and they wanted to cram as much information in your head as possible."

"Yes, I was a regular performing monkey for visiting officials and parents who were considering the school for their children."

"Eww! And to think that I envied your brains. Never more!"

"Well, it's not our brains that are on display today."

"That's right." Kotoko laughed. "Your mother is determined to immortalize this event, isn't she?"

He scowled. "As usual, she went overboard with the equipment."

"Aw, let her have her fun for once!" Mrs. Irie's enthusiasm for photography had waned after she finally gave up on catching the two in a compromising position.

" _You are the most boring teenagers I've seen! Nothing but study, study, study!" she had declared._

"What I'm more concerned about is that telephoto lens she bought. What is she planning to do—join the paparazzi?"

"Wouldn't it be 'mamarazzi'?" Kotoko teased.

Naoki groaned. "At least I can be sure that you did _that one_ on purpose!"

* * *

"Just so's you know it, Mr. Brainiac," Kinnosuke said to Naoki at the starting blocks, "this day will prove to Kotoko that I'm the best guy in school."

He turned to look at the Class F leader, who was hopping up and down with anticipation next to him. "Measured by physical ability alone? What planet are you from?"

"Planet Japan!" he snarled. When Naoki snickered, he pointed at him and jeered, "You're the one who acts like an alien! All super-smart and geeky."

"I'll accept the 'smart'," he returned, getting into position, "but I don't believe you know the definition of 'geeky'."

"Huh! I bet if I looked it up in a dictionary, your picture would be right next to it. So, there!"

Naoki shook his head. "You definitely need to work on your trash talk."

The referee shot his pistol, and the race was on. Kinnosuke sprinted into the lead quickly. Naoki followed close behind, thinking that the Class F entrant's pace would falter, giving him the chance to pass. To his surprise and irritation, Kinnosuke managed to stay the course and, after a brief rest, commenced to cat-calling about his victory, hollering 'Loser dog!' when Naoki shrugged and walked away. Unfortunately, his mood was not improved by his mother's embarrassing display of oversized banners and hand fans, all cheering on both Classes A and F and prominently featuring his name and Kotoko's entwined with hearts.

"Could you be more obvious or ostentatious?" he asked, holding up the bottle of water he had just plucked out of the cooler. It, too, had a homemade label promoting a match between the two.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she pouted. "I only wanted to show my support of you and Kotoko-chan."

"We appreciate it," Kotoko appeared at his elbow, "but most Class A parents don't go to this much trouble." Indeed, the banners festooning the fences of the field primarily cheered on Classes E and F.

"Well," Naoki took a sip, "this _is_ their day to shine. No insult intended," he nodded at Kotoko.

"None taken," she sighed. "It's not as if we excel in academics, after all."

"Present company excepted," he reminded her.

Kotoko rolled her eyes. "I see you got second in the hundred meter."

"Yeah," he grunted. "Your pal surprised me by being able to sprint that far. Of course, I should have suspected as much."

"Why?"

"All of his talking and boasting must have increased his lung capacity."

Kotoko's face screwed up in thought while Yuuki hooted. "Onii-chan, that's wicked funny!"

"That was probably an insult," she finally said, "but now you know you'll have your work cut out for you in the relay."

"You're right." He sat down on the ground. "Plus, none of the other members of my team are very athletic."

Grabbing one of the lunch boxes, Kotoko sat down beside him. "I'm not that good either, although I have been working on running faster." She opened the box and offered it to him. He selected a rice ball and nodded his thanks. "But it was so tiring, and then Kin-chan made me practice handing off the baton to him over and over."

Naoki swallowed. "He was probably using that as an excuse to hold your hand."

"Ew!" Yuuki stuck his head between them. "What a sleaze!"

"You don't really think that, do you?" she asked anxiously.

He only shrugged and took another bite. Meanwhile, Mrs. Irie was complaining to Mr. Aihara, "What is that younger son of mine doing? Onii-chan and Kotoko looked so sweet sitting there together."

"Should I stop filming them, then?" he asked, videocamera at one eye.

"No, no, I can just edit this part out," she replied, snapping a few quick photos with another camera.

"Mama," Mr. Irie said, "don't you think all this photography paraphernalia is a bit over-the top?"

"Not at all, Papa!" She rounded on him. "And if you'll tilt that reflector about five degrees, I believe the lighting on them will be perfect."

* * *

"Dang scavenger hunt," Kotoko groused as she headed towards the starting line. "It's just a way to entertain the audience while the rest of the students are having lunch." She felt that she had an advantage over the others, however, with the treats that Mrs. Irie had packed for the family.

She leaned forward and rested a hand on one knee. Over to the left, Kinnosuke was waving and pointing. She nodded her head at him and, once the start signal was given, ran in that direction towards a white rectangle set slightly apart from the others.

"'The man you love'," she read aloud in disbelief, the torn envelope falling to the grass. "What kind of clue is that? Stupid festival committee." She spun around and headed for the Irie campsite.

Behind her, Kinnosuke jumped up and down, shrieking, "Kotoko! What're you doin'?! I'm right here!"

She grabbed her father's elbow. "Come on, Otosan," she urged, "we've got to go to the finish line."

"But Daughter!" he protested. "The camcorder!"

"Bring it with you," she ordered.

Thus it was that Mrs. Irie's compiled video of the day included an extremely jerky first-person view of the pair racing to victory in the scavenger hunt event.

Of course, that lady was highly irate when she caught a glimpse of the clue. "Really, Kotoko-chan, you would have made better time by grabbing Onii-chan!"

"Huh?" she asked between bites of homemade mochi. "He didn't meet the credenza, plus he has an event coming up soon."

Naoki and Yuuki were overcome with laughter and for some time were unable to correct her word to 'criteria'.


	12. Chapter 12

Satomi had done her part in giving Class F a lead in the relay, and Nemeto in the second leg was increasing it. As Kotoko got into position to receive the baton, her mind kept running over Naoki's comment about Kinnosuke using the runner's position to touch her. That had jogged her memory of the practice sessions, when he had insisted that Nemeto pass the baton to her with no bodily contact. She shuddered but brought herself back to the present when she heard pounding feet behind her.

"Go, Kotoko!" Nemeto wheezed as the transfer took place.

She took off at a good pace, but her limbs seemed to slow the nearer she got to where the last-leg runners were waiting. She had always known that Kinnosuke had a 'thing' for her, but had he actually arranged the order to get closer to her? Now that she thought of it, that clue that she had received in the scavenger hunt appeared suspicious. _After all, didn't Kin-chan tell me that everyone would head for the nearest ones in the center and to go left instead? Could he have interfered in the placement of the envelopes?_

She could tell that her inadvertent slowness had caused her class's lead to narrow, for she could now hear runners behind her. Only a meter away from Kinnosuke, she stopped dead, her hand with the baton at her side.

"Whatsa matter, Kotoko?!" Kinnosuke yelled at her. "Gimme the baton or they'll catch up."

Her eyes wide, she shook her head. Naoki in the next lane, caught on instantly. Abandoning his position, he strode to her and tugged her forward so that Kinnosuke's outstretched hand could reach the baton but not touch her.

"Irie, you bastard! What do you think you're doin'?" he cursed.

"Take the damn baton, you baka!" he shot back.

With another epithet he did so and took off. Naoki got back into position and received the Class A baton, but not before telling Kotoko, "Head for the sidelines once all the runners are off!"

She did so, muttering to herself, "What happened to me out there?"

* * *

 _Damn!_ Naoki thought as he ran, _I shouldn't have voiced those thoughts aloud._ Clearly his supposition of Kinnosuke's ulterior motive in the race line-up had traumatized Kotoko to some extent. To make it worse, the boy's reaction had further solidified his suspicions. Anger at the underhandedness of the plot seemed to give him more energy, and his legs ate up the distance between the other runners. He passed one, then another, and soon the only competitor between him and the finish line was Kinnosuke. _Can't let him crow at me twice in one day,_ he thought with determination as he increased his already rapid pace.

Heading the last few meters towards the finish line, Naoki spied Kotoko's head leaning out of the crowd, her pigtails waving. He put on a last burst of speed to bypass Kinnosuke just as he saw, to his horror, the girl fall forward onto the track as if shoved from behind. There was no time to slow down, and the distance was such that he could not adjust his steps to leap over her. Instead, his futile attempt to do so only resulted in him landing fully on top of her.

* * *

"Irie, you bastard, put Kotoko down!" Kinnosuke's voice had half of the audience turning their heads. "She's in _my_ class, so I'll take care of her!"

Naoki, who had hoisted Kotoko on his back, turned to see him galloping in their direction. "No, I'm the one who fell on top of her, plus I live with her. I'll see that she's bandaged up."

"Oi! But she's my girl!" he yowled.

"I am not!" She whipped her head around to snap at him.

"You're whining like a loser dog," Naoki told him sternly.

"Aargh! Now you're stealing my best lines!"

Kotoko giggled behind him when he shrugged and ordered, "You meet the description. So, _stay!_ "

"That was so funny, Irie-kun, but a little mean."

"Yeah." He shifted her weight to a more comfortable position. "For some reason he brings out the worst in me."

"Or maybe the best." When he tilted his head she noted, "you won the relay, after all."

"Right. However, I didn't think that I would be _literally_ trouncing my opponents."

* * *

"Mmfh!" Kotoko knew that Naoki was trying to be gentle and didn't want to cry out.

He heard her anyway and looked up from her bloody knee. "I'm sorry, but I've got to make sure there's no sand or grit from the track left in it." He soon applied antiseptic and bandage, then his attention moved to her scraped elbows.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"No," he said, looking intently at her, "your face has some dirt on it. I'm just hoping that's all. I'd hate for you to have a scar."

"Oh, no!" she gasped in mock horror. "I will never be able to perform before a camera again."

"Don't worry, 'Kitagawa Keiko', Mom won't be retiring as cinematographer any time soon after the scene we just acted out. I could hear her yelling at your father to 'zoom in closer'! There!" He rinsed out the washcloth and looked closely at her cheek. "It may bruise a little but the skin isn't broken." He placed his hand on her face and touched the injury with gentle fingertips. "You don't know how scared I got when I couldn't stop in time."

"It was _not_ your fault," she assured him. "The girls behind me were shoving to see the finish of the race."

He bonked her forehead with his. "You just contradicted yourself."

"No, I didn't use any contractions."

He rolled his eyes. "Wrong word again. Why do I find that so endearing?"

"'Endearing'? Does that have to do with being able to do something for a long time?"

"No, that's 'endurance'." He grinned. "Although I might need that since your little quirk isn't improving."

"But my grades are!" she pointed out. then smiled shyly. "I don't think I've thanked you enough for that, Irie-kun. Is there anything that I can possibly do for you in return?"

Naoki took a deep breath. "Actually, there might be."

"Oh, what it it?" She leaned forward unconsciously.

"Damn!" He covered his eyes. "This is hard to say."

She pulled his hands away. "As the commercial says, 'just do it'."

He looked at her, unblinking. "I've never before had the desire to have a social relationship with a girl until you."

"A 'social relationship'? What is that, in simpler words?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, to begin with, friends."

"Irie-kun," she smiled at him, "don't worry, I'm over all that fear from first year. We're friends."

"Actually, Kotoko, I'm interested in a bit more than that. I'm not sure how the right way to put it, but I find that I like you the best of all other girls that I know." He paused to collect his courage. "Kotoko, would you like to date me?"

"Irie-kun, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well," she hesitated, "I'm not the sharpest spoon in the drawer. Wouldn't you 'fit' more with a girl from Class A?"

"Not really," he said. "I'm not sure that I 'fit' well anywhere. After all, I've never been gregarious."

"Okay," she gave him a look, "I'm not even going to _try_ to say that one."

"'Fond of the company of others'. And that's one of the things I admire about you. Since we've been living together, I've seen how easily you interact with people. Besides, Komori-san and Ishikawa-san, you are even able to be friendly with that idiot out there and his henchmen."

"Well, with Kin-chan, it's sometimes difficult," she admitted. "But don't you think it's better to get along with your classmates than not?"

"It's not as easy for me. Let me give you a little background." He cleared his throat. "I told you about how all I spent my time doing was learning. Well, not that I could really help it, with my eidetic memory, but I was always in my own little 'Irie Naoki bubble'." She nodded, still a little envious of that trait. "Since that was my strength, I decided to concentrate on that. Even now, I seldom interact with any of my classmates out of school."

"That's not true," she disputed. "What about that tall guy with glasses who's always with you?"

"Watanabe? He and I go way back to elementary school, and sometimes I think he puts up with me out of habit."

"Irie-kun, I'm sure that's not the case. Even when I was hiding from you, I knew who you were. I can tell that what you two have is a real friendship. And what about your tennis team?"

He shrugged. "Again, nothing outside of the sports activities. It was my mother who insisted that I select an extracurricular and taught me the basics of tennis. I simply did what I had to and went home."

"So, hang around a little longer. Start a conversation. It won't hurt you," she said sternly.

"I suppose not," he said slowly. "As long as I have you around to prod me when I fall behind."

"Sure," she laughed, "after all, I'm right next door, aren't I?" Her grin suddenly faded. "At least until our house gets fixed. I wonder what the progress is on it?"

"Even then," Naoki stared at his feet, "I'd like us to stay close. So, can you please put me out of my misery and answer my original question?"

Kotoko swallowed audibly. "Were you really serious?" When he nodded in return, she took a deep breath. "You know, I spent the past two years trying to stay away from you, thinking that you were going to do something awful to me. I was so busy doing that that I never liked _any_ boy in that way, much less you."

"I see." His voice held disappointment, and he began to push the chair back. "I suppose I truly don't meet your criteria, no matter what word you use."

"No, wait!" She grasped him by the shoulders. "The past few months, spending all that time with you… Well, you're nice and funny—although I don't understand all your jokes—and you're also the boy that I feel the closest to. So, yes, Irie-kun, I'd like to be your girlfriend—if you're obscurely certain."

His face broke into the biggest grin that he could ever remember making. "I'm 'absolutely' certain. So, what should we do first?"

Her eyes twinkled. "I've heard the phrase 'sealed with a kiss'. Do you think that's apparent in this situation?"

"I believe it is not only 'appropriate' but soon will be very 'apparent'." He leaned forward and their lips met softly.

Before they could move nearer and deepen it, a strident voice was heard in the hallway. "Onii-chan! Where are you? I hope my dear Kotoko-chan is not too injured!"

Breaking away quickly, they looked at each other with similar expressions of horror. "Maybe we shouldn't tell Obasama right away," she offered.

"Agreed," he replied, pulling her to her feet. "Things will only get worse at home if she starts meddling."


	13. Chapter 13

The news spread like wildfire on Monday, the next school day. Not that Naoki and Kotoko were indulging in blatant PDA, but they exchanged soft glances as they walked through the entrance gate, and Kotoko smiled shyly and blushed as they separated on the third floor.

Satomi and Jinko had held a whispered conversation as they followed the oblivious couple for several hundred meters.

"That girl is so slow!" the taller friend exclaimed. "I thought for sure that the two of us flirting with Irie-kin at the water park would sway her."

"And then him rescuing her half-naked from the pool!"

"Maybe something more happened that night they were alone than she told us."

Jinko shook her head. "That was weeks ago. Who knew that the key to her heart was flattening her in front of an audience?"

They swooped down on Kotoko once Naoki was out of sight and whisked her into the nearest restroom. Cramped inside one stall, the cross-examination began.

"Girl! What has happened?!" Jinko was direct.

"What do you mean?" Kotoko acted vague.

Satomi shook her arm. "Look, we're not blind! You and Irie-kun, walking to school, holding hands…"

"No, we weren't," Kokoko argued. "We were very careful not to touch after getting off...the train." Her voice trailed away as she realized that she had betrayed herself.

"So," the girls drew closer, "what kind of 'touching' was happening on the train?"

Kotoko waved them nearer. "Okay, I'll tell you what happened, but you've got to promise not to tell!"

* * *

Satomi almost squealed with delight at the conclusion of the story. "So you pledged your love after your close encounter on the sports field!"

"No, we did not 'pledge our love'," she disputed. "We just decided that we liked each other and agreed to date. But his mother is a little crazy about us two getting together, and we don't want her to find out about it."

"I thought Mrs. Irie liked you," Jinko said slowly, "and that her life's mission was to make a match between you two."

"She does, and it is," Kotoko sighed. "She's so focalled on it that if she found out we were dating, we'd find ourselves married toodle-sweet."

"'Focused' and 'tout-suite', dear. But marriage to Irie-kun!" Satomi heaved a groan. "What's not to like about that?"

"I only just turned eighteen!" Kotoko countered. "Way too young for—"

They all hushed when they heard the restroom door open.

"This is too public an area for this discussion," Satomi said briskly. "We'll get more out of you later!"

 _Great,_ Kotoko thought to herself.

* * *

It was unfortunate that Satomi and Jinko hadn't checked the other stalls before hauling Kotoko in for her inquisition. Within two hours the entire school was buzzing with confirmation of the suspicions from earlier.

"Kotoko!" Kinnosuke stomped to her desk after Gintaro showed him a group text on his phone. "Say it isn't so! Tell me that you're not dating that egghead bastard Irie!"

"I don't think Irie-kun's head is shaped like an—"

"That's not the point!" His arms waved wildly. "Why would you like that nerd when you've got me, right here in Class F?!"

"Maybe because you _are_ here in Class F," Satomi intervened in a deadpan tone.

"What's that mean?" He rounded on her with a glower.

She shifted her shoulders nonchalantly. "Just that she has seen you, in all your underwhelming glory, for over two years and has decided that you don't suit her taste."

"Good one!" Jinko gave her a high five.

"And that cold-blooded genius does?!" He was almost spitting in frustrated rage.

"Oh, Ikky," she drawled out the nickname that she used every so often, "I don't think he's cold-blooded with _Kotoko_."

"Satomi!" Kotoko chided her, blushing to the roots of her hair, while Jinko hid her face on the desk. That action did nothing to muffle her snorting laughter.

The rest of the class nodded in agreement when Satomi pointed out, "See, even her fiery complexion shows the truth!"

The boy fell to his knees and howled, "Kotoko!"

At that point, Hakamada-sensei decided that it was time to begin class and the dramatics were forced to cease, although there were still groans and lovelorn stares from across the room.

* * *

The next few days were accompanied by additional mutterings from Kinnosuke's direction. More troubling were the glares sent towards Kotoko from the majority of the female students.

"Gee!" She shivered. "I'd be dead meat if those killing looks were bullets."

"You'd be Swiss cheese if those were bullets," quipped Jinko.

"Thanks. That really reassumes me." Kotoko frowned at her.

"'Reassures'. And don't worry about them." Satomi waved away her concerns. "Even if those girls knew how to fight, they wouldn't want to injure Irie-kun's 'chosen one'."

"What does Harry Potter have to do with this?" Kotoko asked in confusion.

* * *

Satomi came to regret underestimating the feminine half of the student body. Friday, during a mixed P.E. class, Kotoko was called to the other side of the sports storage cottage only to meet a furious group of girls.

* * *

"Irie, you son of a bitch, get out here!"

Naoki, having just seated himself after changing clothes, sent a puzzled look towards the door of Class A. "Ikezawa? Aren't you in the wrong end of the building?"

"You're the one who went to the wrong end, you bastard!" He was almost frothing at the mouth. "Thanks to your lustful advances, my sweet Kotoko may be on her deathbed!"

"She's not your— Wait? What do you mean, 'on her deathbed'?!" He stood quickly.

"A gang of mean girls ambushed her behind the sports shack. Mostly from Classes A, B and C." His eyes narrowed as he studied the female students in the room. Several of them ducked their heads; if not personally involved, they had heard of the plan.

"Is she all right?" Naoki was halfway to the door.

Kinnosuke stepped out of the way to keep from getting run over then grabbed his arm and spun him to a halt. "If it hadn't been for Satomi and Jinko wondering where she'd gone, and me following them, she might not be." He wiped at a scrape on his chin. "I always prided myself on never hitting a girl, but, man!—they fight dirty!"

"So, is she in the nurse's office?" Naoki was anxious to reach her side.

"Yeah, she is, you asshole. But you'd better think long and hard about what you're doing to her."

"What _I'm_ doing to her?"

"This all started when you and she started dating, so yeah, I'm putting it on your account."

"How can you hold me responsible?"

"I calls 'em as I sees 'em," he replied stubbornly. "You're the cause."

"That is yet to be determined," Naoki said firmly. "Now, let go of me!"

* * *

"I recognized Uchida, Mimori, and Kusada from Class A and Suzuki and Furihata from Class B. How about you, Jinko?" Satomi looked up from the cold pack she was holding to Kotoko's eye.

"I'd recognize their faces, but how come you know all their names?" Jinko replied as she dabbed at a bloody knee.

"I study the student directory. It never hurts to know who people are," she shrugged, "since we might meet them in college."

"That's _if_ we make it into college!"

"Well, our girl here will make it in just fine, won't you baby?" Satomi tweaked Kotoko under the chin just as the door opened to reveal a breathless Naoki.

"Kotoko!" he gasped. "Ishikawa-san," he addressed Satomi, "what happened? I heard something from Ikezawa, but…"

She snorted. "Ikky likes to exaggerate, but he probably didn't do too much of it in this situation."

"Those damn snobs got her pretty good before we figured out what was going on," Jinko snarled.

"Come on girls," Kotoko broke in, laughing weakly. "It wouldn't be so bad if I knew how to fight."

"And why should you have learned?" Satomi asked.

"But Jinko was wiping the floor with them, and then Kin-chan showed up and scared them away!"

"Ha!" the shorter girl laughed, flexing a bicep. "That comes from having to pound my younger brothers into submission on a nightly basis!"

"So...Ikezawa _did_ come to the rescue." Naoki tasted bitterness. "Maybe he's right about me not being right for Kotoko."

"Whoa!" Jinko burst out. Both Satomi and Kotoko had also protested, but she drowned them out. "Don't go thinking that. I mean, if you had been around, you would have come to her defense as well."

He nodded, regret in his eyes. "But I wasn't there, and from what I suspect, those girls made damn sure that I was out of range."

"Chill, Irie-kun!" Satomi stood and picked up the clutter of wipes which she had used. "Something was bound to happen, with all of the girls in a buzz about the elusive bachelor finally getting caught. Now that it's over, things should settle down."

"Right!" Jinko nodded in agreement. "You'll see!"

"We'll leave you to finish patching up your girlfriend while we go activate our spy network."

"'Spy network'?" He raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Finding out what girls in school have any unexplained bruises or scrapes." She gave an evil smile. "Appropriate revenge will be taken, never fear."

He nodded distractedly at her as he seated himself next to Kotoko, not even noticing when the other two slipped out the door. "Kotoko?" he asked softly, running the back of his hand gently over her cheek.

She clasped and kissed it, looking up at him with watery eyes. "Irie-kun? Let's talk later. I want to go home."


	14. Chapter 14

Kotoko endured fresh wound cleaning and bandaging from a highly distressed Mrs. Irie, who, in contrast to her voice, had steady hands while ministering to her. "I have never heard the like," she fumed as she prepared a light brace for the girl's wrist. "Japanese people do NOT engage in hooligan-like brawling. We leave _that_ to the occasional American tourist, you know." She patted Kotoko's hand when finished.

"It wasn't much of a brawl, Obasama." She felt she had to correct her. "I didn't make a good showing in the fight."

Echoing Satomi's remark, she retorted, "And why should you? Don't worry, darling, I will go down there once the weekend is over and give the officials a good piece of my mind. In place of your mother, you understand. We'll get to the bottom of this travesty!"

The teenagers shared a panicked look that the underlying cause for the fight would be revealed. "That won't be necessary, Mom. I will make sure that it is taken care of."

"You, Onii-chan?" She blinked. "But you're only a student. No, no, I'm sure that an adult's word will carry more weight."

"Ma, I'm the pride and joy of Tonan High. I believe I can impress on them that this bullying must be stopped."

The two Iries argued back and forth for several minutes until Mrs. Irie reluctantly agreed to let her son handle the matter. "But I don't know what Ai-san will have to say about this!"

"I'm sure once I explain everything to Otosan that he will have confidence in Irie-kun."

"Explain everything?" Mrs. Irie paused in repacking the first aid kit. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

"Of course not." Naoki maneuvered her to the door. "Now, injured or not, Kotoko needs to study. You can fuss over her some more at dinner."

Once she had left, Kotoko looked at him. "Now what?"

"I don't know." He leaned against the back of her door. "We thought it was good enough just to hide our relationship from my mother. Who could have guessed that honor students would act that way?"

She laughed. "Neither of us knew that your fangirls were that inert."

Cocking an eye at her, he responded, "I believe you mean 'intent', and I really don't care to have my name associated with doings like this. Had anything happened earlier, before this episode?"

"Just some mean looks and a few whispered insults." She wrinkled her nose. "And not very imaginative ones, at that."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want to complain." She ducked her head. "I mean, I was so happy that I was willing to put up with a few not-so-good moments."

"But I'm not willing that you have to." He flopped down on the bed beside her. "All right, Irie, think," he muttered to himself. "What's the use of being a genius if you can't figure out a simple problem?"

"I hate to tell you this, 'genius'," she elbowed him with her uninjured arm, "but even I know that emotions are seldom simple."

* * *

They continued brainstorming after dinner and became so involved in the discussion that they did not hear the door open.

"Why don't you just break up?" Yuuki asked from the threshold.

Their heads swiveled towards him. "Yuuki-kun!" Kotoko gasped.

"Is Mother behind you?" Naoki gritted out.

"Shoot, no." The boy walked into the room and made himself comfortable in the desk chair. "But I did spend a little time listening outside."

"Otouto…" Naoki said menacingly.

"Hold on!" He waved his hands in a placating manner. "I'm just trying to help you guys. I'm smart too," he said, eyeing his brother, "and I knew that you two liked each other long ago."

"If he knows," Kotoko gasped, "then Obasama will figure it out."

"Not hardly," he snorted. "You do a pretty good job of acting as only friends in front of her."

"But still, telling us to break up is pretty cold-blooded, even more than _I've_ been accused of."

"Onii-chan," Yuuki whined patiently, "I didn't mean do it for _real_."

"Huh?" Kotoko blinked at him.

"Well, you've hidden it from Mom, so just hide it at school. You still have your trips to and from school and your sessions at night to get," he made air quotes with his fingers, "lovey-dovey."

"If I didn't know exactly when you were born, I would swear that you were over nine years old," Naoki said, narrowing his eyes.

"You're not the only one with brains in this family," he joked cheekily before sobering. "It's the least I can do since my statistics project didn't result in a cure for you, Kotoko."

"But we know what to call it now," she reminded him, "'malfoyism'."

"'Malapropism'," Naoki corrected. "And the condition _can_ be improved with practice."

"That's right." Kotoko scowled. "More work for me—having to tell you the answers out loud after writing them down."

He ruffled her hair. "I don't mind—and I even enjoy—your occasional misspeak at home or with me." She blushed, recalling his tendency to laugh and kiss her after she mangled a word; when they were alone, that is. "However, you will gain more respect from your teachers if they can understand you without mentally having to translate what you're actually saying."

"Yeah," she agreed morosely, then brightened. "But getting back to Yuuki-kun's idea...it might work," she mused. "I mean, you and I don't see each other that much at school anyway."

"I just hate being involved in more deception," he complained. "It's not an activity to which I'm accustomed."

"Don't forget," she grinned and winked, "your partner is the Hide-and-Seek champion! This time _I'm_ the expert."

"All right," he conceded. "So, who broke up with whom?"

* * *

Naoki squeezed Kotoko's hand as the train braked to a stop at the school station. "Show time," he whispered before leading the way out of the car.

For the remainder of the trip to school, Kotoko walked two meters behind him, humming as if nothing was the matter. Late on Sunday they had eventually come to an agreement that it would be a 'no-fault' break-up. "I'll get ridiculed for being rejected if you break up with me and for having no taste if I break up with you," she had pointed out.

"It's not fair that there's no blame attached to me either way," he had complained.

She shrugged. "Who said life was fair?"

* * *

"Kotoko!" Kinnosuke slid to a stop next to her desk, where Satomi and Jinko were trying to console the strangely untroubled Kotoko. "Is it true? The word on the street is that Irie dumped you!"

"No, Irie-kun didn't 'dump' me," she said with irritation.

"Ha! I knew that wasn't the case," he crowed. "I bet you sent him on his way, having figured out what a loser he is!"

She rolled her eyes. "Neither of those is true. We just decided that it wasn't working out."

"Don't bother trying to protect his perfect prissy reputation," he barrelled on. "To show him up good, why don't you and me go out on the town this Saturday night?"

Satomi shoved him away. "Get lost, Ikky! How in the world can you consider yourself to be an improvement over Irie-kun?"

"Yeah," Jinko poked him in the ribs. "Why would she want a hamburger after having prime rib?"

"What's that?" Kotoko asked, perking up since they were talking about food.

"I've seen Kotoko order burgers lotsa times," he argued.

"Forget using metaphors," Satomi told her friend. "They go over his head."

"A megaphone?" Kotoko asked. "But Kin-chan is loud enough without one."

"They go over this one's head too," Jinko nodded.

"Yes, but that's normal for her. However," Satomi folded her arms, "I can't believe that she won't let us take revenge on those skanks."

"If you do, then the gossip will continue even longer," Kotoko said. "Besides, I wasn't hurt that badly."

Satomi hugged her close. "You are just too good for this world!" Over the girl's head she and Jinko exchanged a glance which communicated their agreement to keep certain of their activities over the weekend a secret from her.

"After all," Jinko told her later in private, "finding out that only some of the bitches got punished will make them mad at each other. They'll be too busy fighting among themselves to bother Kotoko!"

"Right," Satomi added, "not to mention the fact that I think she's hiding something from us again."

"Oh, you got that vibe, too?" she sighed. "We'll just have to keep an eye on her."

"What's new with that?"

* * *

After about a week of whispers, things settled back to what approximated normal for Kotoko. Naoki questioned her intently each evening as to further incidents, but she was pleased to say there were none.

"Except for Kin-chan thinking that now I'll be more interested in going out with him," she added with a frown.

"Unfortunately, I can't do anything about that without taking us back to the original situation."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Irie-kun," she kissed his cheek quickly, "I've had lots of practice at turning him down."

* * *

A/N: For readers unfamiliar with 'malapropism', this term was coined after a character from R. B. Sheridan's 1775 play _The Rivals_. Mrs. Malaprop often used words which sound similar to the ones she actually meant, usually for comic effect. As Naoki attested, the best way to overcome it is to rehearse what one plans to say, and his tutoring has been geared to help her achieve that goal for school. Of course, outside of the classroom, Kotoko is bound to spout off many more, so the fun will continue.


	15. Chapter 15

As the month progressed, Class F discovered that the nickname of 'drop-out class' was all too true. Their teachers made pointed suggestions to check the class bulletin board for job openings. One day homeroom was taken over by the school counselor, offering extended hours and special workshops for successful application and resumé preparation.

Satomi was highly irate after she toured the floor and discovered that theirs was the only class so stigmatized. "It's just as your older cousin said," she raged at Jinko.

"I told you he knew what he was talking about," she responded, snapping her gum.

Kotoko looked up from her study sheet to nod vigorously. "It's not right that we are all supposed to have received the same level of education, but there is such a difference when the robber hits the road."

Her tall friend rolled her eyes but didn't bother to correct her. "Not that you have anything to worry about, with Irie-kun tutoring you, even now."

"Yeah," added Jinko, "I'd be happy to have an ex-boyfriend tutor me. Well," she said thoughtfully, "I'd be happy to even have _had_ a boyfriend."

"Say, Kotoko," Satomi placed an arm around her shoulder, a gleam in her eye, "we're your best friends, aren't we?"

"Of course you are," she answered innocently.

"You aren't suggesting—?" Jinko's eyes widened. "Satomi, you clever girl, you _are!_ "

"She's what?" Kotoko looked from one to the other.

"Do you think your 'good friend' Irie-kun could help a couple more needy girls?"

* * *

"Of course," Naoki replied, "I'll be happy to put together a cram session for Ishikawa-san and Komori-san."

"Thank you!" She hugged him exuberantly before backing away. When he raised an eyebrow, she explained, "I guess we'll have to be careful not to slip up when we're together. Those two know me too well."

* * *

Two days later she had another piece of news for him: one that wasn't quite so easy to break.

"Uh, Satomi and Jinko were overheard talking about what subjects they needed the most help in, and now the group that would like to attend is a little bigger."

"'A little,'" he repeated. "How many?"

She ducked her head. "Everyone in the class except for…"

"Let me guess. Ikezawa."

"Yes, Kin-chan is actually making fun of all those who want to attend. He says, well, he calls you bad names."

Naoki grinned. "Probably nothing I haven't already heard from him. Now," he took a deep breath, "the problem is finding a place to fit all of them."

* * *

It was Mr. Irie to the rescue. "Our seminar room? We have nothing scheduled for it this weekend."

So that was how the majority of Class F received an impromptu tour of Pandai's headquarters before their intensive cram session. Naoki not only utilized the projector in the small theatre to present his lessons and answer followup questions, but he printed study sheets and worksheets to help them retain the information.

"Man, Kin-san's gonna be sorry he missed this," Dozo commented to Gintaro on the elevator down. "Irie really came through for us. I can even understand most of it."

"Nah, Kin-san wouldn't care even if Irie walked on water. All he'd do is call him a bastard genius."

"I don't know about that." Dozo shook his head. "Lettin' go of that nice Kotoko doesn't exactly seem like somethin' a genius would do."

"Yeah, but did you look at them today? If we hadn't been told they'd broken up, I would never have guessed."

The other thought about it for a minute. "Y'know, you're right. But I'm not tellin' Kin-san they're still gettin' along okay."

"Hell, no!" his friend agreed.

* * *

"You did a good thing today, Irie-kun." Kotoko patted Naoki's hand as they sat in the train on the way home.

He turned his hand over and clasped hers before leaning his head sideways to lean on her. "That's up for debate. If they apply themselves, they may be able to pass the exam for the escalator college. But what will happen when they are actually there? Can they hack it then?"

"You've given them a chance. That's all they asked for," she assured him.

"Is the rest of your class as undecided as you on a career?"

"I'm afraid so," she conceded. "I suppose that sounds dumb to you."

He chuckled. "If so, then I have to admit that I'm in the same boat."

"That's right. You said you weren't sure that you wanted to take over Ojisama's business, didn't you?"

"And I'm afraid that if I don't come up with a plan soon, that's the track that I'll be locked into." He scowled. "And in Dad's alma mater, as well."

"'Omelette'?"

He straightened and rubbed her head. "The college he went to. University of Tokyo."

"Wow! Todai!" She stared at him in awe and a trace of disappointment. "I never thought that we wouldn't be at the same school. Silly of me, I know."

"Eh, it's just something he's been hoping for. I could probably go anywhere, if I was able to determine a preference."

"It's a circle," she nodded sagely.

"What is?"

"If you knew what you wanted to do, you could choose the best college."

"That's true. Have any suggestions?" He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Well," she tucked a finger under her chin, "you're a good convincer, so how about a lawyer?"

"Sounds a little boring to me."

"Well, I know you said 'no' earlier about being a teacher, but look at what you did today," she pointed out.

He shuddered. "Not on your life! I don't mind the one-on-one, but this afternoon was tiring. I can't see myself doing it every day."

"Hmm. I know!" She snapped her fingers. "You patched me up at the sports festival and after the incense—"

"'Incident'."

"—so how about a doctor?"

"Really?" He pondered the idea. "I'm not against it, per se, but I'd never thought of that."

She grinned at him. "Maybe you should have been researching careers instead of looking for me the past two and a half years."

"No," he stared at her solemnly, "I don't regret that. I just wish that I had found you sooner." He glanced around the near empty car before giving her a quick kiss. "So, what about Christmas?"

"What about it? Obasama has a big western-styled celebration planned, and I also have a class party."

"Me too," he scowled, "but I wish…"

"What, Irie-kun?"

"Well, besides the fact that you still won't call me 'Naoki' and that we have to hide our relationship from nearly everyone, I'd like to take you on a real date for Christmas."

Kotoko frowned. "We don't have much time, since Otosan and I will be leaving to visit our relatives also."

"Do you have an idea?" he asked when her eyes lit up.

"I might be able to slip out of the class party early. I could just tell Satomi and Jinko that I have a female emergency."

"Ha!" he snorted. "Too bad I can't use the same excuse."

She poked him in the side. "No one is going to question Mr. Super-Genius. Use that adventure and just walk out."

"'Advantage', and I may just do that." He grinned at her. "You have good brains, after all."

"Speaking of which, Hakamada-sensei told me that all of my teachers want me to take the college placement test." She sighed. "More homework."

"Not really," he informed her. "I'll align the study schedule with your current classes. I promise, you won't notice much of a difference."

"But I had planned on attending Tonan," she argued.

"Nothing wrong with keeping your options open," he pointed out. "Plus, it will give you a heads-up as to what you can expect next year. The end-of-school test isn't that much of an indicator."

"You didn't tell the guys _that_ this afternoon."

"One step at a time, Kotoko. Remember, you have the advantage of several more months' preparation."

* * *

A/N: A quick 'thank you!' to my 'Anonymous' reviewers, who don't get a personalized reply like the registered readers.


	16. Chapter 16

"Happy Christmas, Satomi, Jinko." The girls had separated from the rest of the class for the exchange of gifts.

"Earrings. Nice!" Satomi held them next to her head. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous, of course." Jinko shook her wrist. "Thanks for the bracelet, Kotoko."

"And thank both of you for the hair ornaments. Can you put them in for me?"

Satomi stood and studied Kotoko's French braid. "Did you do this yourself?"

"No, Obasama helped me."

"Well, I think I'll put a couple small ones in the back and a larger one on one side to draw attention to your eyes."

"You're so good at this!" Kotoko exclaimed as her friend went to work, Jinko handing her the items as Satomi called for them.

"Of course I am," she agreed without conceit as she circled Kotoko to see if any adjustments needed to be made. As she did so, her foot knocked over Kotoko's bag.

Around the corner, where he had been lurking the entire time, a girlish squeal emerged from Kinnosuke's throat.

Dozo, a few meters away, wandered over with his bowl of ice cream. "You okay, Kin-san?"

His friend, a wide grin splitting his face, turned to him and grasped his shoulders. "Kotoko has a Christmas gift for me!"

Raising an eyebrow as he spooned more ice cream, Dozo asked, "How d'you know?"

"Look!" He dragged him to the corner and pointed to the open bag. "Another gift! And it's wrapped up in masculine green plaid paper, so it's gotta be for a man!"

"I hate to tell you this, boss, but you ain't the only man in Tokyo."

"Well, who else would it be for?" He scanned the room and dismissed all the other males.

"Her dad, maybe?"

"Nah, there's no reason for her to bring it to the party." He pressed a thumb into his chest. "I know it's mine!"

Dozo grinned and patted Kinnosuke's arm. "I sure hope so, for your sake."

"Of course! Oh," he looked around frantically, "I didn't bring anything for her. Wait!" His eyes narrowed on the karaoke machine. "I know! I'll sing her a romantic song!"

"But there's only Christmas songs on it tonight. You know, because it's a _Christmas_ party."

"Never mind! I'm sure that I can find something!" He scampered over and shoved a classmate aside to check the listings.

He shook his head and made his way to Gintaro. "Boss is cruisin' for a bruisin'," he told him.

"What now?"

"He thinks Kotoko brought him a gift, and he's plannin' to dedicate a song to her."

Gintaro groaned. "Great! Kin-san's a good guy, but his singing sounds like a cat in heat."

"Not to mention that the present probably isn't for him."

"And if it was, I bet it's like a pity gift."

Indeed, it had not been a pretty sight in Class F when the test results were released. Kinnosuke had roundly condemned those who had attended Naoki's tutoring session until he had been singled out by the teacher to visit the guidance counselor's office. At that point it sunk into him that he was the only one who would not be advancing to Tonan University. He had slunk out of the room, glaring at his two friends. "Traitors!" he had muttered.

"Hey, what we noticed that day," Gintaro began.

"Yeah," Dozo continued, "I don't think that present is for anyone in Class F."

* * *

Jinko's gaze slid sideways to Satomi. "Are you feeling uncomfortable with the way Kin-chan is staring our way?"

She shuddered. "Yes, and that song isn't making things any better. Talk about giving off the vibe of date rape!"

Based on the way the other girls in the class were shifting in their seats, Kinnosuke's choice of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' was not a popular one.

"Do you think Kotoko had a notion what he was up to and that's why she left?"

"No, I think she had a date with Irie-kun," Satomi replied.

"What makes you think that?"

"I accidentally kicked her bag when I was putting the clips in her hair. I snuck a look inside, and there was another present."

Jinko frowned. "I wish she would trust us with the truth."

"Be realistic. If we 'officially' knew, we wouldn't be able to resist discussing it, and she'd be in hot water with the fangirls again." Satomi glanced around. "As it is, we'd better stop talking about it now."

"Nah, I think everyone in Class F would cheer her on. With one exception, of course." She indicated the stage.

Kinnosuke, with the spotlight in his eyes, could not see his targeted audience. He kept his face in the direction of Satomi and Jinko, certain that Kotoko was nearby. He completed the song, his voice screeching to hit the high notes. "Baby, it's co-old o-o-out-si-i-ide!" He tossed his hair out of his face, put on his sexiest expression and pointed to the back of the room. "Kotoko, that one's for you! Come on up and let's sing the chorus as a duet!"

The sudden rush of silence almost echoed, until Jinko stood and shouted, "She left already!"

"Lucky girl!" yelled a fellow student from across the room.

"B-b-but she can't have!" Kinnosuke sputtered. "This is our romantic Christmas Eve!"

"Did you get that in writing?" Satomi called out sarcastically.

Kinnosuke gritted his teeth in humiliation as the rest of the class jeered at him. "Must've been somethin' real important for her to leave early," he blustered before rushing off the stage.

* * *

Kotoko and Naoki finished their dinner in a booth at Donny's restaurant. "I'm sorry that this was the best I could do," he apologized, "but the fancier places were all booked up."

"It's okay, Irie-kun," she smiled at him, "since I might not know how to behave in one of those."

"You'd be fine," he chuckled, "but I might have had to cash in some bonds to fill you up."

She shook her head mockingly. "I'm almost tempted not to give you this, then." She pulled a wrapped package from her bag. "It almost spilled out at the party, and I would have had a hard time explaining to Satomi and Jinko who it was for."

"Thank you, Kotoko." He removed the paper and admired the leather wallet inside. "This is very nice."

"Open it up," she urged.

He laughed when he pulled out an accordion of bandages. "Are these for me?"

"Well, you've had to patch me up twice already. I thought you'd like to be prepared for the third time."

Naoki pinched her nose. "Let's hope that is not in the near future. Now, for you." He handed her a small package.

"Ooh!" Kotoko gasped as she pulled the delicate chain with a small sapphire pendant from the box. "This is so pretty!"

"Not as pretty as you," he said with a short laugh. "Listen to me, the antisocial genius of Tonan High attempting sweet talk."

"You're not nearly as antiseptic anymore," she corrected. "Look at how you helped my entire class."

" _Almost_ your entire class."

Kotoko waved it away. "That was Kin-chan's own fault," she declared. "Now, let's stop talking about him." She swiveled in the booth. "Put it on me?"

He rose from his seat to stand over her and brushed the stray hairs from her neck, noticing that the action made her shiver. "There you go!" He dropped a kiss on her nape just to watch her shudder once more before sitting back down.

Her cheeks visibly pinker than earlier, Kotoko stared down at the pendant and centered it at her collarbone. "This is much nicer than the socks we exchanged at Obasama's celebration."

Naoki snorted. "Whatever gave you the idea to select Pokemon socks for me?"

"I figured you never had any like that—"

"That's the truth!"

"—and I wanted my first Christmas gift for you to be memorable."

He leaned across the table and grasped her hand. "Any gift from you, Kotoko, would be memorable."

* * *

Strolling towards the train station, she sighed. "This was wonderful. I wish we could stop hiding and date openly."

Naoki pondered the matter. "We could probably find places our classmates wouldn't show up at, but what about Mother?"

"I know. Obasama is so—so—so—" She couldn't find the right word, not even one that resembled what she wanted to say.

"You're right," he told her. "We'd have to come up with some excuse for being gone at the same time."

"We could be meeting friends," she suggested. "Separate ones, of course."

"Mom has Ishikawa's and Komori's numbers—remember? I wouldn't put it past her to call and check up with them."

"So that's out." Kotoko's brow furrowed as she pondered the situation. She halted as they came abreast of the train routes. "I know!" she shouted, before placing a hand over her own mouth in apology. "A study session," she whispered to him.

"Study session?" he asked.

She pointed at the electronic sign. "Like at the library."

"Not exactly romantic," he mused, eyes narrowing.

Kotoko elbowed him in the side. "We wouldn't really go there, silly! Wow, you sure aren't very good at hide-and-seek, are you?"


	17. Chapter 17

"I can't believe both my children are taking the placement test!" Mrs. Irie gushed.

Naoki rolled his eyes, and Kotoko reminded her, "You're leaving Yuuki-kun out again."

"Not at all!" She waved away the comment. "He's not old enough to be included in this."

"He could probably take the test in my place and get a better score," she complained.

Yuuki snorted with laughter, and Naoki raised an eyebrow as he chided the girl, "Don't dismiss my super tuition that easily."

"See?" Mrs. Irie held out her hands. "You get along just fine while you are in a teacher-student relationship. Why can't you see each other as romantic partners?"

"Gee, Obasama," Kotoko wrinkled her nose, "I always thought those sensei-student stories were kind of creepy."

"But he's not really— Oh, never mind! Now," she hustled to hand them both a small package. "Snacks for the break, and Kotoko-chan, lend me your bag a minute."

"Huh?" she asked as Mrs. Irie grabbed it.

"I made you a good luck amulet for the test." She scowled at her Naoki. "With his abnormal amount of brain cells, my son doesn't need any extra 'luck'."

"Thanks, I think," Kotoko said, examining the dangling charm. "This is very pretty. I envy your embroidery skills."

"I keep telling you, dear, that you just need to practice more. If only you weren't always having to study both nights and weekends, I'd be happy to instruct you."

"Yes, well," Naoki interrupted, seeing that she was alluding to their secretive dates, "I believe we'd better hurry. With this snow, I told Watanabe that we should get away early."

"Okay, darlings!" She and Yuuki waved goodbye from the door. "Oh, I hope things go well for them today!" She sighed, "Especially for Kotoko-chan."

"Don't worry Mom," he consoled her, "Onii-chan is with her."

"Yes. And don't they make such a cute couple! Why can't they see that?" She clasped her hands together while watching their retreating backs.

Yuuki refrained from answering, thinking that his mother sure was one to talk, since _she_ couldn't see what was right in front of her nose.

* * *

"I'm really sorry for suggesting that you become a professional chef last night," Kotoko said as they walked. "Especially when Kin-chan showed up in the restaurant right afterwards and announced that he was apprenticing himself to Otosan."

Naoki chuckled. "I don't believe that arrangement was your father's idea. But what in the world gave you the idea that career would interest me?" He reached over and added her bag to the one already on his shoulder.

"Well, Obasama is so good at cooking that I thought for sure her talent must have been handed down. Plus, you would be able to memorize recipes and not have to use a cookbook."

"But the most successful chefs have a spark of originality to enable them to adjust a recipe 'just so' and make it uniquely theirs. I'm not that creative."

"In that case, why did you shoot down my idea of computer programmer?"

He hugged her to his side and shook her slightly. "I have enough trouble programming your _brain_ with information!"

* * *

After a brief discussion, the two decided not to pretend in front of his friend. "Considering that you guessed that I liked her before I even knew her," Naoki explained.

Watanabe, holding onto an overhead strap, grinned at the pair. "I have to admit that you're doing a fine job of flying under the school's gossip radar."

"We must," Naoki admitted with a clenched jaw. "I don't want a repeat of last fall's incident."

Quickly sobering, the boy nodded. "I agree. I'm sorry that some of my classmates were involved in the attack on you, Aihara-san."

"Shoot, just call me Kotoko, Watanabe-kun," she told him.

"And yet you still won't call me by my name," Naoki leaned down to whisper in her ear.

Watanabe possessed good hearing and laughed. "I'm glad to see that there is one area of life that does not come easily to you." Seeing Kotoko's inquisitive face, he explained, "This guy succeeds—without effort—in academics and athletics."

"I know!" Kotoko shouted, index finger raised. "Professional tennis player!"

After Naoki let out a resigned sigh and shook his head, Watanabe continued, "At least romance is giving you a few bumps along the way."

"One of them being my mother," he growled.

"She doesn't like Aihara?"

"On the contrary. She absolutely loves her, and would like nothing more than for us to make beautiful babies together."

"Really? That's a stretch, considering that you're still in high school. But at least she approves of you." He smiled at Kotoko.

"Oh, she doesn't know we're dating!" she chirped.

At his friend's raised eyebrow, Naoki explained. "If she had the slightest inkling that we liked each other, she would be all up in our business. The first few times we went out together, we took a roundabout course to make sure she wasn't following us, camera in hand."

Watanabe chuckled. "She's still into photography, then?"

"Yes," Naoki ran a hand through his hair, "but I think our subterfuge has convinced her."

"She just looks at us and sighs every now and then," Kotoko added.

"It might be easier if you were not living under one roof," Watanabe commented.

The other two exchanged wry looks. "At this rate, we'll never be moving out," Kotoko complained. "Otosan keeps dodging my questions of when repairs on our house will be finished."

"Not that Mom would let you out of her clutches," Naoki said with a laugh.

Watanabe scanned the screen of upcoming stations. "Well, I just want to reassure you before we get off that I understand your need for secrecy. Mum's the word. Neither your mother nor the school will find out from me."

"Thanks, pal." Naoki moved to clap him on the back in appreciation but paused halfway with a wary expression on his face.

"What is it?" Kotoko asked.

"I'm stuck."

* * *

And so he was.

"It's that damn charm of Mother's," Naoki explained after tugging to no avail. "It's caught between the doors."

"I'll just pull it away when they open at our stop, then," Kotoko assured him.

"That's right." He heaved a sigh of relief. "It's the next one, anyway."

"But the doors open on the other side for the next few stops." Watanabe voice rose in slight panic. "They don't open on this side until several kilometers past our test site."

"I'll stay on until then," Naoki said quickly. Raising his voice over Kotoko's objections, he added, "It may be your bag, but I'm the faster runner of the two of us. And can you honestly tell me that you'd be able to find the building?"

As she shook her head abashedly, Watanabe nodded at Naoki's unspoken request to see her safely to the test registration.

* * *

"Irie-kun!" Kotoko called as Naoki took deep breaths just inside the doorway of the university building. She hurried to his side.

"I knew you would make it." Watanabe took the bags from his friend and handed Kotoko hers, while Naoki quickly shed his overcoat.

"I'd like to see Ikezawa beat that run," he said with a grin. "And no, Kotoko, there's no reliable future in sprinting."

"How far did you have to go?"

"Two more stops. I decided to run instead of wait for the returning train."

"Good call. We only have a few minutes to spare."

Naoki frowned at the colorful charm still attached to Kotoko's bag. "That talisman is bad luck. I'd throw it away if I were you."

"Oh, no! Obasama will want to see it when I return," she protested.

"She must have attached it with titanium wire," he complained. "I jerked on that thing all the way to the last stop."

"Nonsense!" Kotoko pulled the bag off and held it in front of her. "See? It's just a thin ribbon—Would you look at that?" The amulet disconnected at her light touch and fluttered to the ground.

"What in the—?!" Naoki stared at it in disbelief.

Watanabe shook his head. "Your mother has crazy powers."

"Crazy is right," he said, turning to respond. "Did I ever tell you about the— Watch out!"

Kotoko, bending down to pick up the charm, was knocked off-balance by another person mounting the stairs. As the two boys watched in horror, she tumbled down the stone steps and lay still.

* * *

"Kotoko! Kotoko! Can you hear me?"

"Nothing's wrong with my ears, Irie-kun," she said in a pained whisper. "I think they're the only part of my body that doesn't hurt."


	18. Chapter 18

"What do you mean, you don't have a doctor or nurse on-site?" Naoki's tone, exhibiting the most heat that Watanabe had ever witnessed, inspired him to step in and speak to the officials instead.

"Look," he interposed, "how about you just open up the infirmary? I'm sure we— _he_ —can patch her up." Naoki had made a quick and almost professional survey of Kotoko and had determined that no bones were broken, although a strain or sprain was indicated in both ankles.

"All right, all right!" The harried security guard unlocked the door, and Naoki gently laid Kotoko on the bed. While Watanabe watched, he removed her outer garments and washed off several scrapes, as well as sending the man on a search for ice.

"This will have to do, since all of the cabinets are locked," Naoki told Kotoko as he used their scarves to immobilize her ankles. "Although I don't know how you're going to be able to take the test like this."

"Naoki," she clasped his hand securely after he bandaged her last wound, "I'm not taking the test."

"What?"

"While I really appreciate all the work that you did getting me ready, I know I won't be able to do it justice with all this pain."

"Maybe if you—"

"No." She patted his cheek. "It's not going to happen. I'm content with Tonan University. And besides, all of the extra studying will put me that much more ahead of my classmates when I get there."

"Are you sure?" he asked anxiously.

She nodded. "Now go out there and ace this thing."

When Naoki leaned forward to kiss her, Watanabe turned away. "Try not to move while we're gone," he ordered.

"Don't worry," she chuckled. "That's the last thing this body wants to do. Ow!" She winced.

"Wait a minute!" Naoki halted outside the door. "Did she just call me by my name for the first time?"

"Yes, she did." Watanabe grabbed his arm. "But this is no time to be thinking about that. Come on!"

* * *

"Is she...snoring?" Watanabe asked when they opened the door during the test break.

Naoki chuckled. "So it appears." The two quietly neared the sleeping figure and were startled when a young woman emerged from the adjoining room.

"May I help you?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, this is my girlfriend." Naoki indicated the slumbering Kotoko. He noticed that the mufflers were now neatly folded and elastic bandages were on both ankles.

"I see. Well, she has two sprained ankles, one more severely than the other, and a slight shoulder strain. As well as multiple abrasions. The bruising should really pop out in a few hours and make her a colorful character."

"And you are…?"

"Dr. Nishikino. I was called in after Ms. Aihara injured herself." She shrugged. "Usually this building is closed on weekends, so I wasn't scheduled."

"Thank you for your time." Naoki bowed. "How will be the best way to get her home after the test is over?"

The doctor's forehead creased in thought. "I don't have a spare wheelchair, and, with the shoulder injury, she won't be able to use crutches. If you two," she indicated the young men, "can support her, I may be able to scrounge up a cane. I believe one of our former professors left one in his office when he retired."

"Thank you so much, Sensei." Naoki bowed again as he heard the chime to return. "We will be back after the test."

"Take your time." Dr. Nishikino smiled. "This one is having a nice nap thanks to the injection I gave her."

* * *

"Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie exclaimed when she opened the door. "What have you allowed to happen to my dear Kotoko-chan?!"

"Ma, I didn't allow it—Oh, never mind. Watanabe," he jerked his head at his friend, "up the stairs."

Together the boys managed to guide the hobbling Kotoko onto her bed, with Mrs. Irie following behind still demanding to know the particulars of her injuries and Yuuki tagging along in concern and curiosity.

"I'll turn her over to you, Mother," Naoki said, straightening, Kotoko's coat and scarf in his arms. "She had a fall down some stairs and missed taking the test."

"Who cares about the test? Why didn't you catch her, Onii-chan?"

"I was at the _top_ of the stairs. I'm sorry, but I can't change the laws of gravity."

"Oh, my poor baby!" The matron was hovering over the girl, not yet touching her since she did not know the extent of the damage.

"She has two sprained ankles and a strained shoulder," he indicated the arm in a sling, "plus multiple scrapes and contusions. She can fill you in on all the details. I'll see you off, Watanabe."

The two young men descended the stairs. "Are you sure it's safe to leave Kotoko to her tender mercies?" his friend asked.

Naoki chuckled. "Just try to keep her away. Thanks for helping get her home. I'll treat you to dinner some time for your efforts."

He shook his head. "That's not necessary. I'll take my payment as the privilege of teasing you about your secretive relationship." When Naoki opened his mouth, he quickly added, "Only in private, I promise!"

"Agreed," he sighed. "Thank goodness we lost that stupid charm. Who knows how much more bad luck…"

He stared as Watanabe bent to pick up an object which had just landed on the floor. "Ah, maybe you were a bit premature. It looks like it was caught on her jacket somehow."

"Damn!" Naoki said.

* * *

After Mrs. Irie had finally finished rebandaging Kotoko and left to prepare her a light meal, Naoki snuck into her room. "You okay?" he asked. Receiving a wan smile in return, he handed her the bedraggled talisman. "This thing survived better than you did."

"How extraneous!" she marvelled, turning it over in her hands. "But we'd better not let Obasama know how it backfired."

He nodded. "It's best to let her believe that it warded off worse dangers than those which caused your accident."

"And how do you know that it didn't?" she quizzed him.

"I suppose I don't," he laughed. "Still, I'll be going to the store tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you?"

"Besides some illegal morphine? Nope. What are you shopping for?"

"More bandages." His mouth quirked. "I used up all of them in my wallet and still didn't have enough for you."

"Don't say you expect me to repeat this clumsiness!" Kotoko grimaced as she tried to rise then dropped back down.

"With you," he smiled, "it's always better to be prepared." He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Now I'd better retreat before Mother catches me in here."


	19. Chapter 19

"You're leaning pretty hard on that cane, Kotoko," Naoki observed as they approached the school. "You could have stayed home a few more days."

"No, I need to get moving." She patted her tummy. "Obasama kept bringing food up to my room, and I was getting no exercise!"

"I'm sure that I could have—"

Whatever Naoki had planned to say was destined to be left unsaid. "Kotoko!" Kinnosuke roared as he thundered towards them, his loyal deputies behind him. He scowled at Naoki, an expression that was returned by a haughty look of boredom. "Why didn't you call me? I would've met you so you wouldn't have to suffer this boring know-it-all's company."

"It's too early for this," Naoki muttered.

"What's that?" Kinnosuke bristled then his eyes flared when he saw Kotoko's pink bookbag slung over the other boy's shoulder. "Oi! Gimme that! Ain't no one going to help my girl but me!"

Piqued, Naoki held out the bag then snatched it away. "Too bad," he said sarcastically when the boy floundered for balance after missing it.

"Hey!" Kotoko's cane, now decoupaged with pink flowers, courtesy of Mrs. Irie, stabbed Kinnosuke in the chest. "Injured person here!"

"I know, sweetheart," Kinnosuke crooned. "And it's all because this egghead here was pushing you."

Willfully misunderstanding, Naoki snapped, "I didn't push her."

"Huh?"

"It. Was. An. Accident." The cane poked Kinnosuke with each word. "Don't go blaming Na—Irie-kun for this."

"No, no!" he protested. "I just meant that you wouldn't've been even goin' for the test without him."

"So you want to blame all our teachers now?" Satomi joined the group, trailed by Jinko.

"Yeah, Kin-san," Dozo unwisely put in, "we heard Haka-sensei talkin' to her about it."

"Argh! Just gimme the bag!"

Kotoko turned to Naoki. "He _is_ going the same way I am."

"Here!" He tossed the bag to Kinnosuke, who stepped backwards at the impact.

"Now, Kotoko, darling, let's get you to class." Satomi and Jinko each caught an arm and hurried her away while the boys stared.

"Wait!" Kinnosuke held out a futile hand.

 _So that's the technique they used to hide her from me for two years_ , Naoki thought to himself, chuckling audibly.

"You laughin' at me, nerd?!" The Osakan rounded on him.

He held up both hands. "Not at all," he replied in a deadpan voice then strolled nonchalantly into the building.

* * *

A week later during P.E., Kinnosuke leaned against the fence, bragging to his two pals. "Yeah, I can hardly wait until Valentine's Day this year!"

"That's right," Gintaro said. "All that friendship chocolate from our classmates."

"Yum!" agreed Dozo.

"Nah!" Kinnosuke shook his head. "I'm not accepting any of that this year!"

"Why not, Kin-san? You're pretty popular with the girls."

"There's only one girl that I want chocolate from, and it's gonna be honmei. I'd bet my life on it."

"That's a pretty high wager, Boss. Who is it?"

Gintaro elbowed him. "Why bother askin'?" He turned to Kinnosuke. "Are you still hung up on Kotoko? When has she ever given you encouragement?"

"I just know it in my heart." Kinnosuke dramatically covered that organ with his hand. "Plus, I've been seeing her gazing out the classroom window with stars in her eyes."

"Those stars may not be for you, y'know."

"Who else? I mean, I'm tops in the class with the ladies—you said it yourself. Also," he gestured them closer, "I overheard her tell Satomi and Jinko that this was gonna be a very special Valentine's Day while looking at a magazine of dessert recipes. Plus, when she saw me watchin' her, she made sure to hide it from me!" He slapped both their backs. "Can't get much clearer than that!"

Ten meters away, Satomi snorted, "That baka! Even though she can't cook, Kotoko looks at food magazines because she's always hungry. Even after three years, I can't believe how much she can eat without gaining weight."

Jinko looked down at her unsatisfactory waistline. "If I didn't like her so much, I'd probably hate her." Turning to Satomi, she queried, "But why does he think she was hiding the magazine from her?"

"I don't know. Kin-chan always sits by the back door, so maybe Sensei was about to come in the room right then. That idiot turns coincidences into conspiracies."

"Yeah, he does. Think we should set him straight that Valentine's is 'special' because Irie-kun is taking the Todai test that day?"

"Do you think he'd listen?" she asked in return, eyes closed as she turned her face to the winter sun.

Jinko pondered. "You're right. No sense in wasting time and energy. Besides it'll be more fun watchin' him shit a brick when he finds out who she really cares for."

"Yes. Our little friend may think she's fooling everyone, but we know her _way_ too well."

* * *

"How about musician? You'd never need sheet music after you look at it once."

"Not interested." He held up a hand. "Plus, I didn't even enjoy playing the recorder in elementary school. Look, Kotoko, all I'm certain of is that Pandai is not what I want to do in the future. Well," he added, "pretty well certain."

"How much?" She pointed a french fry at him.

"I would say...about 93%."

"So precise. I still don't understand why you rejected status—startis—dealing with statistics." She bit down on the potato strip. "Okay, so have you told Ojisama yet that you don't want to follow in his footsteps?"

"No." He toyed with his own food. "I know he's depending on me, and that's the 7% that's undecided."

"Then, until you're _absolutely_ decided, I don't want to hear any more whining about not wanting to take the Todai test."

He straightened and claimed in an offended tone, "I don't whine."

"Prove it by taking the test. Keep your options open, just like you told me about the national test." She winked at him. "Say, I _like_ being on this end of a nag."

"And I don't nag either."

"Sure you don't," she agreed quickly. "At any rate, I'm going to accommodate you to Todai that day."

"'Accompany', and it's really not necessary."

"Even as an excuse to hold hands on the train without worrying that anyone will see us?"

He paused, struck by her logic, then shook his head. "It will be boring for you to wait for me."

"Oh, I plan to keep myself busy by shopping for Valentine's candy."

"'Shopping'?" he laughed. "Mother hasn't convinced you to _make_ some?" Naoki's care of Kotoko's injuries had caused Mrs. Irie's hopes to rise once more.

Her mouth twisted. "She's tried. Something about the 'holiday of love'," she made air quotes with her fingers, "inspired her to work on my cooking skills again."

"She doesn't have much raw material to work with," he muttered, but not quietly enough, for a french fry bounced off his forehead.

"I heard that. Even though I agree, you shouldn't say it." She sighed, "I even turned down simply melting a chocolate bar and pouring it into a mold. I could probably screw that up easily."


	20. Chapter 20

"I told you that I would take the test," Naoki hissed at Kotoko in the genkan while putting on his coat.

"And I told you that I was buying Valentine's candy while you were there," she whispered back as she shoved a heel into her shoe.

"You could purchase that anywhere, since you know I'm going to give them right back to you. No sweet tooth, if you recall?"

"Of course I know that, but then I wouldn't be able to hold hands with my boyfriend on the train. Now, do you remember _that_ part of the plan?"

Her impish grin turned to a wince at the same time that Mrs. Irie called out to her, "Kotoko-chan! What do you mean, leaving the house without breakfast?"

"I'm really not hungry, Obasama," she replied. "Actually, my tummy is a little upset."

"The train's movement may make that worse," Naoki commented. "If you won't stay at home, why don't you take some dry toast or crackers and eat it while we walk? I read that will—"

"Upset tummy?! Crackers?! Kotoko-chan!" She grasped the girl by the shoulders. "Don't tell me that—"

"Tell you what?" she asked when the older woman broke off.

Mrs. Irie placed a hand on Kotoko's abdomen. "You don't have a little one in here, do you?"

When Kotoko still looked confused, Naoki shouted, "Ma, she's not pregnant!"

"And how would you know?" she snapped. "You have made it clear that you have absolutely no interest in this darling girl—except for classwork—and now she has been led astray by some philandering cad." She embraced her tenderly. "You can tell Obasama all about it, sweetheart."

Kotoko pulled herself away. "There is nothing to tell! No baby! We—I mean, _I_ —haven't done anything—"

"'We'? So there is someone?" Mrs. Irie's eyes began to fill with tears. "All of my hopes for you and Onii-chan…"

It was hard to concentrate with Naoki steaming next to her and Yuuki bent over laughing behind his mother, but Kotoko closed her eyes and took care to speak slowly. "Obasama, you are letting your immod—wait, that's wrong—your _imagination_ run away. It's probably just something I ate yesterday."

"But those are exactly the symptoms I had both times!" she protested.

"Well, Kotoko isn't you, is she?" her elder son snapped as he practically shoved the girl's coat on her. "We'll see you later," he said over his shoulder as he propelled her out the door.

"What about the crackers?" she asked after they reached the street.

"I'll buy you some at the station," he said. "Oh, and good work on catching yourself with 'imagination'."

She managed a smile. "I could tell that it wasn't right, but not quickly enough to stop before I began. But your reminders to think before I speak must be working."

"Someday it will be second nature to you," he said, kissing her nose.

"But I thought you liked my misspeaks!" she teased.

"As long as you keep a few just for me," he said, laughing as they walked.

* * *

"Kotoko, you're still not looking too well." Naoki observed her pallor closely as they neared the venerable gates of Tokyo University.

She forced a smile. "The crackers may take a little while to work."

"I'm not that certain any more that it's just something you ate. I should have insisted that you go back to bed, like Mom wanted."

"I'll be okay," she assured him. "I'll make my purchase quickly then find a place where I can rest." She looked around the area. "Maybe a library, or a café where I can have a cup of tea. Now, go on!" She shoved him. "Go prove to Todai that you belong there!"

"Okay." He brushed her cheek with a gloved hand. "Just text me with your location when you settle."

She gave him a thumbs-up. "Will do, boss!"

He laughed to himself as he stepped forward and turned the corner, but not three meters in he heard the unmistakable sound of someone vomiting and a voice asking, "Miss, are you okay?" With a feeling of foreboding he retraced his path and saw Kotoko, huddled on the ground.

"Kotoko!" he cried.

She raised her head, misery in all aspects of her expression. "Naoki?" she wheezed. "Go take the test. I'll be all—"

He caught her head before it hit the curb and stood with the unconscious girl in his arms. "The nearest hospital or emergency clinic?" Once he ascertained the address, he walked swiftly in that direction.

* * *

Kotoko forced her heavy eyelids open and slowly focused on the face hovering above her. "Obasama?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" Wrinkling her forehead because the walls were a calming green (not to mention _no_ pink floral border), she then queried, "Where is 'here'?"

"The hospital, my precious! At least Onii-chan was not so heartless as to leave you collapsed on the street!"

"Naoki wouldn't do that," she muttered drowsily before trying to sit up, eyes wide. "The test today!"

"Calm yourself." Mrs. Irie pressed her back into her pillows, careful of the arm with the IV which tethered the girl to the bed. "He had plenty of time to make it back, based on when he called us at home." She turned her head. "Come on, Ai-san, greet your daughter."

"Kotoko, my baby!" Mr. Aihara's face was streaked with dried tears, and one fist clutched prayer beads. "Praise lord Buddha!"

"Why?" Kotoko brushed stray hairs off her forehead with her free hand. "What's wrong with me?"

"You had an attack of appendicitis, my dear," Mrs. Irie explained. "That was why you weren't feeling well this morning and why you fainted outside the university gates." She snatched the juzu from Mr. Aihara. "I'm so grateful that it wasn't an unexpected pregnancy!" she cried and began reciting the mantra of thanksgiving.

"P-p-pregnancy?" Kotoko's father's eyes turned into circles. "Daughter, what have you not told me?"

"I'm not pregnant!" she shouted then groaned and touched her abdomen lightly. "Did I have surgery?"

"No, dear," Mrs. Irie assured her, "although I don't know why."

"Because it was caught early enough to be treated with antibiotics."

The two adults turned at Naoki's voice. "Onii-chan!" his mother cried.

"I thought you were taking the test," Kotoko said accusingly.

"No, I was talking with the doctor."

"All this time?" Mrs. Irie inquired. "Because we've been here for over two hours."

"Yes," he admitted, "it was a most...intriguing conversation."

"It must have been," she sniffed, "to forget your responsibility to your father's educational institution."

"Will they let you take it at another time?" Kotoko asked anxiously. "After all, you _are_ Irie Naoki, the genius of Japan."

"We'll talk about that later," he said. "For now," he handed his mother a sheaf of stapled papers, "here are the instructions for home recovery. Aihara-san," he bowed, "the discharge forms are at the nurse's station to be signed. Mother and I can see Kotoko home safely later; you can go to the restaurant, if you like."

"Why, yes, Irie-kun," he said, wiping his eyes once more, "that would be helpful. I know that the Missus would be more use in a sickroom than me, anyway." He sighed, "At least that so-called apprentice isn't scheduled for tonight. He told me that he had 'something special' planned."

"That's right" Kotoko frowned. "Yesterday he winked at me and yelled that he was looking forward to today. I wonder what it is?"


	21. Chapter 21

Jinko raised her head from her desk. "Was that your phone?"

"Yes," Satomi raised her eyes from the screen, "it's Kotoko."

The other girl yawned. "Is Irie-kun finished with his test?"

"Hush!" Satomi placed a finger over her lips, glancing across the room at Kinnosuke. "We need to get out of the classroom for a few."

Raising her hand, Jinko grinned. "I guess our good ol' Aunt Flo is back in town!"

* * *

"So Kotoko collapsed from pain and is in the hospital?"

"Yes!" Satomi had made certain that the restroom was clear this time. "Irie-kun took her there and skipped the Todai test. She has a mild case of appendicitis. Strange," she frowned, thumbs sliding across the phone's surface, "I wouldn't have expected her to spell that correctly." The phone vibrated once more. "Oh, Irie-kun typed that part, she just told me."

"So he's still with her?" Jinko's eyes almost popped out of her skull. "What about keeping it secret from Mrs. Irie?"

Satomi raised her eyebrows. "Remember, Kotoko doesn't even know that _we_ suspect they're still a couple. I bet they played it off somehow."

"That's right." She relaxed. "I mean, someone with his brains would think of something."

* * *

"Do you have everything packed up?"

Kotoko nodded. Mrs. Irie, expecting her to have an overnight stay, had brought a change of clothes. Considering that half of her had landed in a puddle of melted snow when she fainted, she was grateful for dry garments.

Naoki placed the bag's strap over his shoulder. "Oh," he pulled out a small package that he had hidden, "here's your Valentine's candy."

She accepted it, eyes wide. "But _girls_ are supposed to give out candy on Valentine's Day."

He laughed. "I wasn't going to eat it anyway. The saleslady in the hospital shop claimed that these were the best they had."

Kotoko stared at the exclusive brand. "I've never tried this kind before."

He snatched the box away and stowed it in the bag. "And you're not going to until you get the all-clear from your own doctor." He ignored her pout and opened the door to push the wheelchair through. "Better get that expression off your face before we meet Mom at the drive-through, or she'll accuse me of picking on you."

"Better that than suspecting the truth," she tossed back.

* * *

"Kotoko sure does like surprises."

Gintaro and Dozo did a quick game of janken. Cutting back a curse, Dozo asked, "What makes you say that, Boss?"

"Makin' me wait all day for my candy."

The other two exchanged a look. "Boss, she hasn't been to school all day. Why would she come now? The last bell is about to ring."

"Shucks!" He waved away their arguments. "I know that she knows that I know that she's bringin' me candy."

Gintaro scratched his head. "Say again?"

Dozo elbowed him into silence but his effort was unnecessary, as Kinnosuke began blathering on once more. "Yeah, it won't be long that my patience will be rewarded. She just had to have a little walk on the weird side with that nerd from Class A before she recognized her true feelings."

"Yeah, right." Dozo said. "Well, I'm not waitin' around with you."

"Me either," piped up Gintaro.

Kinnosuke scowled. "Who asked ya to?" His eyes closed and a beatific grin covered the lower half of his face. "She probably wants to give it to me in private anyway. Maybe we can find a dark corner to snuggle a bit."

His friends shook their heads and began to stow their books at dismissal.

Several seats away, Satomi and Jinko eyed him closely. "How long do you think he'll wait?" Jinko asked, biting a cuticle.

"No matter how long it is, it will be in vain," Satomi replied.

"I say two hours."

"Nope, longer. I bet the security guard will have to kick him out."

"Three hundred yen?"

"Done."

* * *

"You...don't want to attend Tokyo University?" Mr. Irie blinked rapidly.

Naoki cursed silently but remained firm. "Not only that, Father, but I have no interest in taking over Pandai after you retire."

"Onii-chan!" His mother's voice was shrill. "How can you so abandon your family? I know I raised you better than this!"

And...she was off and running. No matter how much Naoki and his father tried to calm her down, it was futile. Her cries of remonstration echoed throughout the house.

* * *

Kotoko frowned while reading the instructions for Japanese Cities Monopoly®. "Why in the world do you think I'd want to play this game with you? Even though Naoki has helped me with school, you'd still wipe the floor with me."

"Maybe that's the attraction of it." Yuuki grinned at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him, only to pause with a startled expression when shouts—and, yes, banging sounds—could be heard from downstairs. "What in the world—? Yuuki-kun," she gave him a shove towards the door, "can you check up on that? I'll only be shouted at if I get up."

"Sure thing, Onee-chan." He slid the rest of the way off the bed and headed for the hall.

* * *

"Your father has spent over two decades building up Pandai, expecting you to take it over in a few years."

"I know, Mother, but—"

"What do you think has put a roof over your head, food on the table—"

"Now, Mama," Mr. Irie tried to place an arm around her. She shook it off and resumed stalking around the room.

"—and clothes on your back?!"

"Mother—"

"Don't call me that! If you turn your back on your father, you are no son of mine!"

"Oh, shit," murmured Yuuki, peeking around the corner.

"Enough, Noriko-chan!" Mr. Irie's bellow startled his wife and both of his sons. In his usual mild tone, he continued, "Nao is not rejecting me personally. He has a different idea of what his future should look like. Do I have the right of it, Son?"

Naoki nodded. "Yes, sir."

"But Shige-kun!" Mrs. Irie protested. "Your plans to retire—you know you've looked forward to it."

He took his wife's hands in his. "Yes, but I've also wondered if I would be able to let go of the reins easily." He laughed, "The thrill of a business victory still gives me a rush and makes me feel like a young man. Naoki's decision will let me enjoy it a little longer."

"But what will happen when you _are_ ready?" she wailed.

"I'll do it." Yuuki added when all three turned to stare at him, standing straight and tall in the doorway, "I want to do it."

"Do what?" his mother asked.

"Take over Pandai. I like visiting the office and seeing how it's run."

"That's right," Mr. Irie brightened. "Are you sure, Yuuki? I mean, Naoki here felt pressured and I don't want you—"

"Da-a-ad," he drawled out patiently. "I said I _wanted_ to do it."

"Thank you, Son." His father embraced him then turned to his elder son. "Forgive me for not doing the same to you."

"Nonsense, Dad." Naoki bowed. "I was never pressured, it was just assumed that I would succeed you. And if my heart had been so inclined, I would have been honored to do just that."

"So, tell me son," he began hesitantly, "is your heart inclined in a particular direction?"

Mrs. Irie, arms crossed, still irritated that her view of the future had just vanished, snapped out, "His heart would be better inclined towards a particular young lady!"

"Now, Mama," her husband gently chided, then turned back to his son. "What do you want to do?"

"I believe," Naoki said, pausing to take a deep breath, "after pondering on it for some time, that I would like to study medicine."

"A doctor?"

"Yes," he nodded, "there are people who can benefit from my quirky memory. Perhaps by learning how the human body is supposed to function, I can help those who are not so lucky. Everyone is different, so I should have a continual challenge and never grow bored."

Mr. Irie smiled. "That is how I feel about Pandai. I hope that it works out the same for you." He started suddenly. "Todai has an excellent medical program."

"I know, Father, but I believe Tonan University will suit me quite well." He paused, then added, "So, you are not disappointed in me?"

"Disappointed? Ha!" He clapped him on the back. "Did you hear him, Mama? Our son is going to be a doctor!"

She forced a smile on her face. "In that case, Onii-chan, I hereby order you to become the best doctor in Japan!"

"I'll try, Ma." He bent to kiss her.

"A doctor? You're going to become a doctor, Naoki?" All turned to look at the pale girl holding onto the wall.

Naoki rushed to her side. "And what are you doing out of bed, young lady? Otouto," he turned to Yuuki, "weren't you supposed to keep her occupied?"

"She sent me down to check on all the shouting," he argued.

Mrs. Irie looked away. "I suppose I was a little loud."

"Well, you'd better get back to bed," he propelled Kotoko up the stairs, half carrying her.

"I think he'll make a grand doctor," his mother suddenly spoke. "Why, he certainly kept his wits about himself today when Kotoko-chan collapsed."

"Not the first time," Yuuki chuckled. At his parents' inquiring looks, he began counting on his fingers, "When he landed on her at the race, when she got roughed up at school, when she fell on the test day…"

"Why, yes!" Mrs. Irie clapped her hands. "It's almost as if she has been his inspiration. If only he would— Hey, wait a minute! Did she call him Naoki? And at the hospital, too! Do you think—?"

Yuuki, sensing that this was the perfect time to disappear from his mother's sight, did so rapidly.

* * *

A/N: Kudos on two points for this chapter. Medical career for Naoki: SassaM, Rika Azumi Sakura Yukihara, Guest; Kin-chan's delusions: SassaM, Rika Azumi Sakura Yukihara, Sydney.


	22. Chapter 22

"I can't believe that graduation is already here," Kotoko exclaimed as she and Naoki walked to the train station.

"Believe it," Naoki said with a sigh. "And I've got to make another boring speech."

Kotoko twirled and grinned at him. "I promise to pay close attention since I missed the first one. And besides, you're never boring."

"Really?"

"Bossy and aggravating sometimes, but not boring," she teased, backing away from his reach.

"You little—!" He grinned slyly at her. "Of course, I could always recommend a last-minute change. Since you made such 'marvelous' progress," he quoted one of her teachers, "perhaps you should be the one encouraging the students towards their future."

"Not on your life!" she swore. "It's bad enough that I've got to hand out the diplomas to Class F."

"Ah, yes, accompanied by none other than Kin-The-Has-Been."

"Not nice!" she chided. "He is doing better at the restaurant, and Otosan says that he has the makings of a good chef."

"Do you think he still hopes to advance his prospects with you by succeeding your father?"

"If he still believes that after my 'Valentine's Day' lecture, then he'll never have the sense to take over the restaurant."

Satomi and Jinko had happily relayed his delusional conversation (Satomi won the bet, by the way), and Kotoko once more attempted to explain that their futures would never be intertwined.

Her two friends had flanked her, nodding support, as she spoke to him. Dozo and Gintaro also stood behind Kinnosuke, and their faces reflected embarrassment for their friend's stupidity as well as agreement with everything Kotoko had said. Naoki had eavesdropped around the corner in case she needed backup, but his girlfriend had been quite thorough. Harking back to her first refusal three years before, she enumerated all the times that she had rejected and deflected him.

Every so often Kinnosuke had tried to interrupt with a 'But—' only to have her glare and wave aside his intrusion into her harangue. Phrases such as 'not even if you were the last man alive', 'never in a million years', and 'no way, no how, no sir' were used.

Naoki still doubted that the message had sunk in, since he had noticed several abortive attempts to touch Kotoko during rehearsal the day before. The boy had never actually done so, but he had his suspicions that would change during the actual ceremony. Ah, well, all he could do was be at his ready to intervene if necessary.

* * *

"Damn!" Naoki turned back around in his chair and faced the stage.

"What is it?" asked Watanabe.

"My parents and Kotoko's dad are here, way in the back."

"So are mine. They want to see us graduate." He didn't understand the objection.

"I bet your mother doesn't have an arsenal of cameras," he gritted out.

Watanabe chuckled. "I forgot that she believes that she is the Japanese Ken Burns. How many DVDs of you does she have in her collection?"

He glared at him. "That's not the issue. I'm sure that she will cause some sort of disturbance. Ever since Kotoko slipped up and called me by name, she has been back to her old matchmaking routine."

"You have to let her know sometime, don't you?" He shrugged. "Why not make her day and let her memorialize it since she's already filming?"

"No. That would distract from other people's enjoyment and celebration."

"I don't know about that." Watanabe shifted in his seat and looked around. "This place never spices up their assemblies. I'd say going out with a bang would be the high point of our school experience."

"Forget it." Naoki shook his head.

* * *

"Will the representatives for Class F please come to the front?"

Naoki was glad that his obligatory valedictory speech precluded him from that task as top of Class A. While happy for Kotoko, he wished that the school administration hadn't thrown a sop to Kinnosuke for being the very bottom of the school and selected him to assist the top scholar of his class.

He was not the first to notice a problem. "What's up with that character?" muttered Watanabe.

Sighing, Naoki turned to watch the two make their way down the aisle.

* * *

"C'mon, Kotoko," Kinnosuke urged, not as quietly as he believed, "take my arm as we walk."

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "No, let's do it like we did in rehearsal."

The boy was persistent and kept crowding her to the point that she bumped into chairs at the edge of the aisle.

Her soft 'excuse me's were drowned out by a raucous call from the back. "What's the matter, Kin? Ya can't walk a straight line! Didja drink some of my sake for courage this mornin'?"

When he turned to glare at his older brother (who had some nerve since _he_ had never made it through high school), Kotoko did a quick skip and ascended the stairs ahead of him.

"Drat!" he muttered. "Got distracted!"

* * *

Kotoko blushed through the introduction which praised her as a student whose 'extraordinary efforts had propelled her consistently into the top 100 during her final year, an unprecedented occurrence for Class F, and had inspired the rest of her classmates to emulate her actions'. Kinnosuke was referred to as an 'ambitious young man who was already progressing in his chosen career'.

"A nice way of saying that those two are the best and the worst," murmured Watanabe.

"Don't worry," Naoki whispered back, "he won't recognize it as an insult of his intelligence."

On the contrary, Kinnosuke stood tall, gazing proudly into the crowd, smiling broadly except for the occasional scowl sent Naoki's direction. Confident that all eyes were upon him, he embarked on his final plan of his school career to sway Kotoko in his direction. He would not have referred to himself as 'desperate' but he did realize that his chances were slipping away, as she would no longer be forced to spend several hours in his company daily.

"Here, lemme take those from you, Kotoko," he said as he reached for her share of the large cardboard diplomas.

Narrowing her eyes, she pulled them away from his outstretched hands. "What's up with you, Kin-chan? This is my job. You have your own to take care of."

"Now, what kind of gentleman would let his lady carry such a load?" he asked with what he assumed was a smouldering look.

Cold water was splashed onto the coals of his expression. "Darn it, are you still imagining that I'm your girlfriend?" Her voice rose along with her temper.

"It's fate!" He began to wave his arms and his share of the diplomas around. "Don'tcha see that even the teachers know what a great match we make by putting us together like this?"

"You are really reaching," she said, backing away slightly.

"Now, now," he waved his forefinger chidingly, "you should listen to your senseis. They have much more worldly experience and know better!"

The moment Naoki dreaded arrived. "Balderdash!" cried a female voice from the rear of the auditorium.

Kinnosuke shaded his eyes with his hand and peered back. "Who's that?"

"Someone with more worldly experience and who knows better!" The voice rose in volume and aggravation.

"Wait! I recognize you! You're that bast—Irie's mom!"

"Yes, I am! And Kotoko-chan would _never_ be interested in someone like you!"

"What?!" The opposite side of the auditorium became vocal. "Are you sayin' that girl is too good for our Kin-chan?!"

"And if I am?" Mrs. Irie now stood, arms akimbo, having passed the camera to her husband, while Mr. Aihara turned to record the current altercation with the video cam.

"Then I say we're gonna have a rumble." Folding chairs were pushed aside as several Ikezawas tried to make their way to the Iries.

Kotoko turned to Kinnosuke. "Kin-chan! Stop them!"

"Can't," he stated bluntly, "it's a matter of honor now."

"Honor!" She stamped her foot. "What kind of honor involves fighting at a solemn ceremony?"

"Well," he shrugged, "she insulted an Ikezawa. I mean, there's no reason why you should reject me."

"Yes, there is." Naoki stood.

"You!" Kinnosuke spat out. "You had your chance with her, so stay out of this."

"I'm afraid I can't," he said with false reluctance, "because Kotoko and I never broke up." He grinned at the gobsmacked expression on the Osakan's face which was accompanied by numerous gasps from the graduates. The Ikezawas also halted their heated progress through the mass of other relatives. "So, it seems that _you_ are the one without honor, trying to poach on—excuse me, Kotoko—another man's 'property'."

She glared at Kinnosuke. "I don't care to be referred to as such, but since language like that seems to be the only one that this hog-headed person understands, I'll let it slide. Now," she speared a finger in his direction, "will you stop pestering me?"

"But—but, Kotoko—!" Eyes wide, Kinnosuke reached for her. "Say it ain't so!"

"Praise Buddha!" cried Mrs. Irie. "Those children finally came to their senses!"

Backing away from Kinnosuke's grasping hand, Kotoko's concentration was broken by that shout. Her foot moved a few centimeters too far and found the edge of the stage. Diplomas flew through the air as her arms windmilled while she attempted to regain her balance. Alas, gravity was unforgiving, and she felt herself fall backwards.

 _Darn,_ she thought, _I'll probably still be in the hospital when college begins_ — _if I survive, that is!_

However, instead of the unyielding wooden floor, she found her flight halted by equally unyielding but much more comfortable and familiar arms. "Naoki," she cried when she opened her eyes and immediately wrapped her own arms around his neck and held tight.

"I'd really rather not have to patch you up on graduation day," he whispered into her ear before rising from the squat he had landed in at the conclusion of his desperate leap. He locked eyes with Kinnosuke. "Do you believe it now, Ikezawa?"

When the boy's mouth only opened and closed like a carp, he turned to face the crowd. "Mother?" He raised his voice. "I hope you got all this on camera, since this is what you've been wishing for all along."

However, his mother was mimicking Kinnosuke's response to the lightning-fast rescue, and since Mr. Aihara had been focusing on her, all they had to commemorate the occasion was her reaction. Mr. Irie, having not a whit of photographic talent, had shrugged and turned off the still camera several minutes earlier.

Naoki resumed his seat, Kotoko in his lap, and turned to Watanabe. "That enough 'spice' for you?"

* * *

While school officials futilely called for order, shuffling chairs could be heard behind them, and shortly Satomi and Jinko hurried to the front of the auditorium and approached Kinnosuke.

"What do you think you are doing, baka?" Satomi chided him. "You have turned our graduation ceremony into a farce."

"Yeah," Jinko added, tugging on the boy, who was still staring at Kotoko, by now relaxed in Naoki's hold and leaning against him, "they're all laughing at our class now."

"No," Satomi snapped, "just at him!" She clicked her tongue and descended the stairs. "I might as well clean up." She bent down and began to pick up the scattered diplomas. Winking at Kotoko, she teased, "I'm glad you finally brought it out into the open."

"You knew?" Kotoko gasped.

"Pretty much the entire time," she informed her, "although I see why you didn't want it widely known." She indicated with her head the spectacle of Mrs. Irie doing a victory dance in the back, assiduously filmed by Kotoko's father.

"Here," Watanabe stood suddenly, "let me help you, Ishikawa-san."

Satomi looked startled for a moment then gave him a slow smile. "Thank you so much. You can call me Satomi, if you like."

By now Jinko had given up on moving Kinnosuke and took charge of his diplomas, which had fallen out of his nerveless fingers onto the stage floor. Luckily Dozo and Gintaro arrived to manhandle Kinnosuke back up the aisle and out of the auditorium.

With his departure and the retrieval of the scattered diplomas, the ceremony resumed. Satomi and Jinko took the place of the official designees, and the event proceeded smoothly. Kinnosuke and his friends' diplomas were set aside to be delivered privately.

Mrs. Irie recovered her poise and her camera and almost filled her SD card with pictures, primarily of her son and his now-acknowledged girlfriend. Although she scolded them for their secrecy, all was forgiven when her usually camera-shy son posed for as many shots as she desired in the courtyard afterwards. She did permit him to separate from Kotoko to take pictures of the trio of girls who had stuck together faithfully for their three years of high school. She then proceeded to take candids of the graduates, including a shot of what might have been Satomi and Watanabe exchanging phone numbers.

* * *

"All in all, I'm not too unhappy to be missing the class party," Kotoko confided to Naoki in their by-now familiar booth at Donny's.

"Me either," he agreed. "I'd just as soon not give my teacher one more chance to chide me for missing out on Todai."

"They gave you a rough time this past month, didn't they?" She clasped his hand in sympathy. "If only I hadn't gotten sick when I did."

"Don't think that way," he urged. "I believe it will be fun going to college together." He laughed shortly. "And that's a feeling I never would have experienced without you."

"Come on!" She ducked her head and blushed.

"Really," he assured her, "at first sight you almost made me laugh out loud. And even with all of our subterfuge in our relationship, it has been worth it."

"Too bad it's at an end, then," she laughed.

"I wouldn't count on it."

"What?"

"Try to imagine life in our house with Mother knowing all about us. I swear I heard her talk about grandchildren in the courtyard earlier."

"Oh." she sobered. "I'm not ready for that."

"Yeah. Knowing her enthusiasm, we'd probably find ourselves locked inside your bedroom one night."

"So," she leaned forward, "what's your plan?"

He grinned at her. "I'm going to talk to Dad about getting an apartment. Now _I'll_ be the one playing hide and seek."

She stared at him narrowly. "From whom?"

"Mother, of course. And since my girlfriend is a veteran of the game," he squeezed her hand with a wink, "I expect I will be an expert shortly."

Raising an eyebrow, Kotoko queried, "And what if I believe you should learn on your own?"

Naoki leaned across the table and kissed her nose. "I'm planning for you to hide out with me at times. Does that sweeten the deal?"

"Does it ever!" she exclaimed with a grin.

* * *

A/N1: And this concludes the main story, although I am going to post a 'deleted scene' shortly. It seemed to impede the flow of the narrative, but I thought you might enjoy it nevertheless. Thank you for all of your reviews. I hope I managed to reply to all of the reviewers who were logged in. As for my guests: thank you very much as well! All of you keep me going!

A/N2: My latest Disney trip got interrupted by a bleeding ulcer. I am typing this while still in the hospital. Thanks to my small, hidden veins, I feel like I have been taken care of personally by Nurse 'Never Met a Needle She Could Stick in One Try' Kotoko.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N1: This is for my Yuuki fans out there. As far as time goes, it belongs somewhere between the national test and the Todai test. And for the guest reviewer who wanted an appearance of Konomi: I don't believe she made a canon appearance until Yuuki was in middle school. Sorry!

A/N2: Oh, and my daughter helped me with the BTS references.

* * *

"Hey, Yuuki-kun," Kotoko teased between videogame matches, "are you expecting any Valentine's candy?"

Turning when she received no reply, she was astonished to see that his face had flushed scarlet. Naoki, an observer of their competition that evening, also stared at his brother. "Yuuki?" he asked.

"Well, I'd like to," the boy finally got out.

With Kotoko's rapid-fire questions finally teasing out all the details, the picture became clear. "So Naomi sits next to you during student council meetings, but she's three years older?"

"Aiming high, Otouto?" Naoki asked.

"Not really." Yuuki shuffled uncomfortably. "I know I have no chance…"

"Never say never!" Kotoko snapped her fingers. "I have an idea! Invite her over after school. Once she tastes your mother's cooking, she'll be hooked!"

"Like you, Onee-chan?" he retorted, then laughed when both teenagers swung their heads in alarm towards the door to make sure Mrs. Irie was not there. "No, that would be a little...weird." He sighed, "I guess I'll just continue to admire her from afar."

* * *

"I have a final tennis club meeting after school today," Naoki said. "You're welcome to attend if you don't want to wait in the classroom or library."

"No, I'll just go ahead." Kotoko smiled at him. "See you later at home."

"Are you sure you can manage alone with the cane?" He looked at her in concern.

"Don't be a worrywort! I'll be fine!"

* * *

She managed to make it to Yuuki's elementary school before class let out. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her. "Kotoko! What are you doing here?" His suspicions were confirmed when her eyes roved over the crowd of children exiting the building.

"Which one is she?"

He sighed in resignation and led her around the corner. "She always waits here, since her bus arrives later than some of the others."

Kotoko observed the girl. "Very cute. I can see how she caught your eye. Look!" She poked him. "Her friends left. Go up and talk with her."

"No," he resisted, "I don't know what to say."

"You Irie geniuses! Well, just follow my lead."

He groaned when she walked to the bench, then shrugged and trailed her.

"Oh!" Kotoko spoke to Naomi. "You have a BTS pin on your backpack." When the girl looked up, she asked. "Who's your bias?"

"Jungkook. I think he is so adorable!"

"He sure is, but my preference is Suga."

She cocked her head in thought. "He's pretty reserved but really cute too. You have good taste in men."

Kotoko turned to Yuuki in triumph. "I do, don't I? Reserved _and_ cute." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, are you Irie-kun's big sister?" she asked.

"I suppose you could say that." Kotoko laughed. "You know, I got a promo sticker of Jungkook with the last album. I don't suppose you'd like it?"

Naomi gasped. "Really? It seems like I never get my favorite."

"Sure. Do you think your parents would mind you being late? You can travel home with us."

"But so suddenly and without notice…"

"It's okay," Yuuki broke in gruffly. "My mother loves to have company over. Plus, she always has plenty of snacks in the afternoon."

The girl grinned. "I'll call my mom now."

* * *

Of course Mrs. Irie was thrilled to meet one of Yuuki's friends. She and Kotoko filled a tray with cookies and small sandwiches and served them in the living room. They frowned at the silent duo on the couch.

"They're not saying anything to each other!" The older woman hissed at Kotoko.

"I'll take care of this," she assured her. "Oh, Yuuki-kun!" she called. "Could you help with the drinks? My ankle, you know."

He obediently approached her. "You didn't use your cane with the snacks," he muttered.

"Liquids are different," she smiled widely then whispered, "Talk to her!"

"About what?"

"School, politics, the weather. Anything!"

"Easier said than done," he grumbled as he took the drinks from her.

The conversation which resulted was so stilted that Kotoko finally told Mrs. Irie. "I give up!" She went up to her room and managed to locate the promised sticker. "Here you go!" she told Naomi cheerfully.

"Oh, thank you!" Your onee-chan is so sweet," she told Yuuki. "Do you like BTS also?"

"Um, not really," he admitted. "I mean, they sing in Korean. Do you understand the language?"

"No, but it's the melody and the choreography and the special effects of the music videos…"

"It's the good-looking guys," Kotoko corrected. The girls winked at each other.

"Right," Yuuki said, "just what I'm _not_ into."

The front door opened. "I'm home!" Naoki called.

"Welcome home!" replied Yuuki and Kotoko, as well as Mrs. Irie, now back in the kitchen.

Naomi, however, was frozen in shock, mouth dropped open.

"I see we have company," Naoki commented with a narrow look at Kotoko. "What a coincidence."

"Yes," she smiled blithely at him. "This is Yuuki-kun's friend, Sugimoto Naomi. Naomi-chan, Yuuki's older brother, Naoki."

"Wow. Um. Charmed, ah, delighted." The girl, whose gaze never wavered from Naoki's face, seemed to have trouble putting words together.

Kotoko looked worriedly from her to Yuuki, who also had noticed her absorption. "Yes, ah, I dropped by Yuuki-kun's school and _just happened_ to meet Naomi-chan. We found that we had similar tastes in music so I invited her over to discuss that. So, Naomi-chan," she turned to the girl, "aren't you expected home soon?"

"No, Mom said that as long as I made it by dinner I was fine. So, Irie-san, what school do you attend?"

With a sigh and a look that someone was in for it, he sat down and began to answer the besotted girl's questions.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Yuuki-kun!" Kotoko was almost crying later that evening in her room.

"It's not your fault." He sagged on her bed. "I should have known that she wouldn't go for me when she likes guys like that." He indicated a poster on Kotoko's wall.

"Yes, she did tell me before she left that she now understood the attraction of Suga. But to ignore you and go after your brother—!"

"May I remind you that none of this would have happened if you hadn't decided to be nosy?" Naoki could not resist putting his two yen in.

"I wasn't being nosy!" she retorted. "I was trying to be helpful!"

"How'd that work out?"

"Not too well. Why do you have to be so popular?"

"This was not _my_ fault either; I just came home."

"Don't worry, Yuuki-kun," she hugged him. "In a few years you're going to be just as good-looking as your big brother, and then she'll be sorry!"

Yuuki grinned at her. "And in the meantime, I can tease my big brother about looking like a member of a boy band!"

After the two finished rough-housing over that remark, Kotoko's bed had to be remade. Thankful that the events of the afternoon were no longer bothering Yuuki, she didn't even bother ordering them to clean up their mess.

* * *

A/N3: I may not have stated myself clearly in my note last chapter. I had great nurses! (They are the reason that I am now relaxing at home in my own bed.) My veins, however, are ridiculously small and hidden; also, I was dehydrated and had a low hemoglobin count. My best IV line used an infant-sized catheter, and the nurse who put it in actually threatened others if they messed it up!


End file.
